externallie some one act wherby that inward grace was shewed as namely by that one gift of healing mentioned 1 Coâ— 12. 9. Of which I spake in the former chapter I trust it will not be denied to be as it is called v 7. A manifâ—station of the Spirit And for this I shall instance in another heathen Prince who was of no better religion then Cyrus was and that is Vespâ—tian the Roman who in the raigne of Nero and before he was Emperor was imploied in the execution of divine vengeance on the rebellious * vide Paulum Oros lib. 7. c. 1. Iewâ—s and the citie of Ierusalem and for that service it may with great pobabilitie be thought that God gave him the Roman Empiâ—e for his reward as he gave Nebuchaduezzar the Kingdome of Egypt for his service against Tyrâ— as we read Ezâ—ch 29. 18. And that the Empi e was the gift of God to him it seemeth to me probable because it was Prophetically foretold unto him by Iosephus the learned Jew who was then a pâ—â—iâ—t unto whom God had revealed both Vespatian's advancement and also the destruction of the Iewish nation God having appeared to Joseph de bel jud l. 2. lib. 7. him in his sleepe as himself relateth and withall confessed that he feared God was offended with him for labouring to save his nation when he knew God had decreed their 〈◊〉 for this reason I think I may call the said Veâ—â—â—tian Gods anointed as being so cleerly designed by God to that empire and also for that as an effect of his unction Tacâ—us Dion Suetonius doe Tac. hist l. 4. c. 19. Suet. in vesp c. 7. Dion in vesp c. 2. vide Plutarch in vita Pyrrhi p. 384. unanimously report that whilest this Emperor was in Egypt the gift of healing was manifested in him for a blind man was restored to his sight and a lame man was cured by his touch If this prove true in an unregenerate and heathen Prince give me leave good reader a litle to discourse unto thee the like effect of divine unction in a regenerate King the most vertuous and most Christian King this day as I doe firmly beleeve and so doe the greatest number of his subjects in the whole world I meane our owne most gracious King Charles For that the King is Gods anoined was never with us called in question before this sceptick time and God never shewed a greater manifestation of any Kings unction in this nation since the dayes of King Edward the Confessor who was the first of our Kings that by his royal touch cured the disease called the Kings Evil then he hath lately shewed in the person of our most pious and most mercifull King Charles for never were so many in so short a time restored to their health and soundnes as of late by him many hundreds were touched by his sacred hand and as many returned home with health in their bodies and blessings in their soules to their royal physician to the great admiration of many witnesses where of my self am one for to his majesties court at Newmarket Jnue 18. Anno 1647. did I â—end one of my Children a child of 11. yeares old who immediatly before had bin extreamly afflicted and indeed tortured with that disease but having bin there and then touched the next day following he returned home perfectly cured and sound and hath so continued ever since for the space of more then 5 Moneths Blessed be the Lord Jesus who is the author of every good gift and blessed be his anoinred servant in whom his goodnes was so cleerly manifested These things might stop the mouthes of his Majesties most implacable enemies who in print have endeavoured to make the people beleeve that the King is not Gods anointed and might particularly shame them who most unchristianly have called this Gift of healing witchcraft although there is an expresse warrant 1 Cor. 12. 9. for it in the word of God these men without doubt except they repent shall one day be accountable for the sinne of blaspheming God and the King for ascribing that worke to witchcraft and so to Satan which is done both by the Kings hand and with the finger of God assisting his anointed just so did the Pharisees blaspheme Christ when he cast out Satan by the finger of God for they said he cast him out by Belzebub Neither wil it be sufficient to say that the gift of healing was a temporâ—rie grace and now quite expired for it can not be so pâ—oved Gods arme is not shortned for although the ordinarie and frequent use of such divine cures is now abated yet no man can for certaine affirme that the gift is utteriie ceased and for our owne particular case in this kingdome why should we not rather thinke that our merciful God now in these needful times to stop the mouthes of al the enemies of his anointed or at least to leave the obstinate without excuâ—e hath so manifestly shewed and declared him to be indeed his anointed and that these multitudes of Royal cures are as so many lampes manifesting the divine Oile of his unction for so the Royal Pâ—almist bringeth in God â—aying Psal 132. 17. I have ordained a Lamp soâ— mine anointed his enemies will I clothe with shâ—â—â— but upon himself shall his Crowne florish Even so Amen Deus dâ—fendat Opt. lib. 2. Oleum suum Upon himself and his royal posteritie Lord let this Crowne florish as long as the Sun and moone endure CHAP. XVII The Vnion of Christ and his Church further shewed why Christ is called by the names Adam Jacob David Why all mankind was extracted out of One man why S. Austin denied the Antipodes wherin this Vnion consisteth An Explication of Heb. 7. 9. Which was slubbered over by the Commenter touching Melchisedech and Levi. BY what hath bin said the Christian reader I trust doth by this time perceive that our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ with great love justice and equitie did sustaine our person and in our steed and to our behalf did both beare the punishment of our transgressions and also fulfilled the whole law of God for us as our suretie because he was as an Vniversall man in whom all mankind was united The sower leaven of the first Adam had â—owred the whol lump of mankind but the divine Spirit of the second Adam sweetned his whole mystical body for a Spirit us est genitoris Aug. de Trin. l. 6. genitiqae Suavitas i The Spirit is the sweetnes of the Father and the Son and because our true and only God hath assumed both our flesh and our soule also on himself and hath put his Spirit into us therefore he is become one with us mystically and we with him hence it is that Prosper saith Tota ecclesia cum Christo Pâ—osp in I sal 102. capite est unus homo i The whol bodie of the Church with Christ the head is one man
called his may appear by these passages Christ saith Matth. 25. I was hungry I was naked I was in prison Act. 9. 4. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me when these things were not meant of his own proper and individual person but only of his servants and members which he calleth himself for so he saith Verily in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me So the Apostle saith that 2 Cor. 5. 21. Christ was made sin for us when in the same breath it is also affirmed that he knew no sin Both are most true because our sins are his sins by reason of this union as the debt of the principal is also the debt of the Surety So Christ is said to be Rev. 13. 8. slain from the beginning of the world even before he was incarnate because of Abel who was both his member and type Lyranus upon that place saith Lyra. in loc Christus fuit in Abel occisus in prophetis exhonoratus for all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets who dyed before the birth of Christ are his members as well as others who novv live or shall hereafter live untill the end of the world even as we read of that birth Gen. 38. 28. where the hand came out of the Womb before the other parts yet it was a member united to the body as well as the other parts Upon that speech of Christ Matth. 23. How often would I have gathered thee as an hen c Orig. in loc Origen saith Christ in Moses and the Prophets would have gathered them in every age before Upon that passage in Psal 61. 2. From the Aug. in Psal 60. ends of the earth will I cry unto thee Austin asketh this question What one man cryeth from the ends of the Earth And answereth That it is meant of Christ for his Members or Church is that one man And upon that saying of the Psalmist Psal 86. 3. I cry unto thee daily or all the day long that is all the time of the world continuance If question be made how this can be true of any one man Austin Aug. in Ps 85. answereth That it is meant of the body of Christ which groaneth under pressures in all ages this one man is extended unto the end of the world in his Members preceding and succeeding Thus he Finally upon these grounds If it be demanded how any man can be saved seeing man daily transgresseth the Law Our answer is That every true member of Christ doth perfectly perform the Law in that Christ hath done it who is one with his members So if we enquire how Christ could with Justice suffer death who never sinned The answer is That his suffering was just because the sins of his Members or body are his sinnes in that himself and his Members are One for it is as easie to conceive our most innocent Saviour to be justly charged with our sins as to conceive sinful man to be justly discharged of all sin and to be truly called righteous even the righteousnesse of God in him Thus much I have thought fit to premise as an Introduction and a needful Preparative for the reading of these Books All which I humbly submit to the Judgment of Superiors and to the serious consideration of the Christian Reader THE Principal Contents of the four Books following In the first Book THe Authors and spreaders of the Arian or Socinian heresie Why the title Saint was of old withdrawn from Churches That the most high God is the Author of the Gospel That the soules of men and women never dye The article of Christs descent into hell is expounded The Original of Creeds and what hath been added to the most ancient of them and why The meaning of the word Hades or hell A full discourse of Ecstasies Raptures Inspirations Revelations and Enthusiasmes Of the apparitions of dead men Of Angels good and bad which conduct the soules of the dead to their receptacles and mansions in the other world A Summary of the blasphemies contained in the said Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrewes In the second Book THat to deny and renounce the Godhead of Christ is the sin against the holy Ghost The sin against the holy Ghost is fully described The eternall Godhead of Jesus Christ is fully proved The deniers of Christ's Godhead are of no better religion then Jewes Turks or Antichrist Of the Deification of Jesus Christ and how it is to be understood The manner how Christ doth intercede and mediate for us in Heaven The Subjection and Minoration of Christ and the delivering up of his Kingdome at the end of the world expounded out of 1 Cor. 15. A plain discovery of Originall sin On what Object the Christian is to fix his mind in prayer How the most high God became a Priest Why the Church of England required adoration when the Lord Jesus is named That Christ is Jehova and what that word signifieth In the Third Book THat the most high God was incarnate How and when the most high God appeared visibly to the Patriarchs and the mystery thereof unfolded The meaning of the face and backparts of God The everlasting Covenant of Grace made before the Creation and after is plainly set forth How the Son of God was necessitated to be incarnate and to suffer death That the Obedience of Christ is with perfect justice and equity imputed to his mysticall Body the Church for the salvation thereof The Originall of the Soul of Christ and of other mens souls is disputed The Omnipresence of the Spirit of God and the diversities of the graces thereof The curing of the Kings Evill by the Kings of England and the Scripturall warrant for the same In the Fourth Book IN what cases the sinne against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable or pardonable is fully shewed The dangerous sin of Anabaptism is shewed by evidence of Scripture with the History of the ancient Anabaptists The reasons why the ancient Christians did defer Baptism till ripe years or old age shewed to be carnall The reason why St. Paul commanded those to be baptized who had been baptized before with St. John Baptists baptism Acts 19. A plain description what true repentance is The meaning of Sins unto death and sins not unto death 1 John 5. 16. The meaning of sins Mortall and Veniall so oft mentioned in the Fathers In what cases sinners must be prayed for and in what not shewed out of 1 John 5. 16. OBSERVATIONS UPON THE COMMENTARY ON The Epistle to the HEBREWES published under the Capital Letters G. M. Anno Dom. 1646. CHAP. I. The Original and growth of the Arian Heresie THe blasphemous heresie of denying the Godhead of Jesus Christ began early and after 〈◊〉 was first broached by one a Euseb hist l. â— â— 28. 〈◊〉 c. 20. 〈◊〉 as Eusebius and Niâ—eph have written and after him 〈◊〉 seconded by his disâ—â—ple â—â—â—odotus who was an 〈◊〉 of
c Amb. n. 37. de Virgin Tull. Epist 69. Aug. Cont. Jul. l. 3. c. 13. Libri non erub sâ—unt your black Comment cannot blush Yet St. Austin said of Julian a Pâ—lagian for asserting an heresie lesse dangerous then yours Puto ipsum libri tui atramentum erubescendo convertitur in minium CHAP. VIII Sheweth against this Commenter that mens soules dye not with their bodies I Must not omit your rare doctrine concerning the soules of dead men You tell us that they are void of all sense of time intervening between the time of our p. 228. 267. death and resurrection though Scriptures speak as if we should wholly live till Christs coming but 't is because thousands of years seem but as one minute to one that sleâ—peth or is dead so long and None are entred into heaven besides Christ c. I perceive you like not the opinion of those Anabaptists who taught the Psychopanychian or sleeping of dead mens soules neither are you arrived to the height of the Jewish Sâ—dduces or heathenish Epicures for they denyed a resurrection which you confesse yet you have chose a fair middle way and with them you believe that our soules dye with our bodies and your confessing of the resurrection is but a reserve by which you re-inforce your doctrine of the Soules mortality for when you perceived that the words of Christ against the Sadduces made also against you when he alledged Matth. 22. 32. Exod. 3. 6. those words I am the God of Abraham to prove that Abraham then lived because Abraham's soul lived for those words were spoken long after Abâ—aham was dead to avoid this you tell us that it proves onely that Abraham must one day be recalled to life so though Abraham's soul was then dead and therefore Abraham was not living yet God is the God of the living that is of the living dead Abraham because some thousands of years after Abraham may be revived you may do well to reform Church-Creeds and adde to The Resurrection of the body the resurrection of the soul which hath been alwayes omitted because the Church thought that onely the body falleth and that the body onely is câ—davâ—r and onely of that there will be a resurrection to the penitent Thief it is said This Luke 23. 43. day shalt thou bâ—wâ—th me in Pâ—â—â—d se this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not yet come by your doctrine though sixteen hundred years are run out since St. Paul in the narration of his rapture into the third heaven confesseth he 2 Cor. 12. 2. knew not whether he were in the body or out of the body therefore in his opinion posâ—â—bly his soul might be in that heaven whilest his body was on earth and St. Stephen at his Martyâ—dome said Lord Jesus receive Acts 7. 59. my 〈◊〉 if his soul was then to dye I marvel why he would not as well say Lord Jesus receive my body but surely he thought his spirit or soul was not mortal and this is consonant with the doctrine of the best â—ilosophers who proved the soul to be separably existible because they discovered that our soul hath operations which are inoâ—ganical for the intellective faculty useth the body onely as an object but not as an instrument and our most excellently learned Physician and rare Philosopher Doctor Thomas Brown of Norwich hath taught us d Râ—lig Medici paâ—t 1. sect 35. 〈◊〉 l. de Aniâ—â— c. 44. vide 〈◊〉 l. 7. c 52. 〈◊〉 Hesâ—châ—â—m in vita Arisâ—â—ae Epimenidis â— 4â— 46. That in the dissecting of a man no Organ is found proper to the Reasonable Soule and that in the brain of man there is nothing of moment 〈◊〉 then in the Cranie of a â—east And Tertullian telleth a story of one Hermotimus whose soul used to leave hâ—s body for a time and Evagari as his word is to wandâ—r abroad whilest his body lay like a dead corps and to return again till his enemies took advantage and whilest his soul was absent they burnt his body And such another story doth Origen tell of the same Orig. cont Cels l. 3. man whom he cals Clazomenius Now whether this be true or not yet it argues that in the judgment of these profound Philosophers the soul possibly may exist out of the body I perceive that the Judgment of the Church hath but little power to sway you for you snatch at any paradox though heretical that comes in your way Eusebius tells us that this very opinion Euseb hist l. 6. c. 27. of the soules dying with the body and rising again with the body was accounted heretical by the Church and that it was in an open Council confuted by Origen though Origen himself erred on the other side and St. Austin in his catalogue of Heresies calls Aust haer 83. Aug. de Ecclesiast dogm c. 15. n. 72. Basil hom de avar n. 12. Philo. de mundi opificio p. 31. n. 2. this of yours the Arabick heresie and our humane soul is by him called Anima substantiva i. e. a substautivesoul because it can subsist alone and of such men which say their soules are mortal St. B sil saith they have Animam pâ—rcinam a swinish soul and Philo the learned Jew saith that a man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a creature mortal and immortal because he hath a mortal body and an immortal soul and this the Church hath taught in all ages and is so delivered Ambr. de fide l. 2. c. 3. n. 22. by St. Ambrose That the soul of man cannot dye The sleeping of dead Saints which you read of in Scripture is meant just as their rising is not of soules but of bodies Many bodies of the Saints which slept arose Matth. 27. 52. But what think you of the soul of Christ did that die with his body No Christian that ever I heard of thought so perhaps neither do you or if you do I care not the same argument which the Apostle drawes from Christs resurrection to prove our resurrection will be as firm to prove the immortality of our soules by the immortality of his soul 1 Cor. 15. 16. If the dead rise not then is not Christ risen So if man's soul be not immortal then was not Christ's soul immortal and if Christ's soul dyed not neither will our soules dye The doctrine of the Soules immortality is so demonstrable by nature that the Ancient Christians symbols or rules of faith did not expresly declare it as an article of faith Christian because even * Si in hoc erro quòd animas hominum immortales credam libeâ—â—èr erro hunc erâ—orem mihi extorqueri nolo aveo patres vestros mortuos videre Cic de Senect heathen Philosophers both confessed and proved it but yet in the later Creeds of the Church the article of Christ's descent was added for no greater cause at first that ever I could learn or discover then this as
word there used is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so again when Christ shewed himself to St. Paul in the Temple Act. 22. 17. he was in a trance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now an exstasie or trance is as St. Austin describes it Cum abripitur animi intentio Aug. de Gen. ad lâ—t l. 12. c. 6. Ibid. c. 21. n. 69. à sensibus i. When our soul is elevated and taken off from the use and management of our bodily senses and is actuated inlightened by the Spirit of God or some Angel So the same Father saith again Bono Spiriâ—u assumitur anima hominis cum in somnis futura videt sic Aâ—gelus apparet Joseph in somnis i. When in our sleep things to come are revealed to us our soul is taken and informed by some good spirit as Joseph was by an Angel Matth 2. 13. And so also Prosper saith Ecstasis est cum mens aliqua inspiratime assumitur i. An Ecstasie is when Prosper in Psal 115. n 46. our soul is wholly taken up and imployed by some inspration And St. Bisil saith That when we read that the Basil in Ps 28. hom 5. Word of the Loâ—d came to the Prophets we are not tâ— think so grosly as if God uttered vocal and audible sounds or words to them but that he informed and instructed their soules by a more divine way of illumination though something like as we in our ordinary dreams do imagine we hear voices and discourses of men and see our friends or such like when they are but the imaginations of our brain St. Austin Aug. Epist 101. doth very fitly resemble them thus Non erant voces corporâ—ae exâ—rinsecùs sed quales apud nos tacitè transâ—urrimus memoriâ—â—r vel canâ—ando i. e. When the Word of the Lord came to a Prophet it was not any outward corporeal voice but in such a way as we use when silently in our minds and by our memories we discourse with our selves inwardly as in running over a businesse or an Oration or a song which men usually do onely by thoughts though our tongue never move and just so doth the holy Poâ—t Prudentius describe St. Prudent in hamartig p. 187. John's Revelation Corporeus Johannes adhuc nec carne solutus Secedenie anima non discedente videbaâ— St. John saw the Revelation when his soul was not out of his body but retired to it self from the use â—o the body and St. Basil tells us Si nos viveremus animâ Basil hom Divers 3. n. 11. nudâ sine carnis velamentis cogitationes cognosceremus nunc verbis opus est i. When our soules have put off the garments of our flesh then they shall understand one another by thoughts as now men do by words And St. Austin is of the same judgment Tunc patebunt Aug. de Civ l. 22. c. 29. cogitationes invicem i. That our pure spirits shall perceive and converse with one another by thoughts Now when our soules are so ecstatically retired from our bodies as that they do not so much as contemplate the Phantasmes as their object then are they in a fit posture to converse with the Divine Spirit of God or those immaterial and heavenly spirits the holy Angels and when our soules are so elevated then such visions or revelations as are presented to our minds are as evident to us as if they had been sensibly presented to our eyes or eares and thus St. Hieromâ— Hier proaem in Esai n. 33. saith That the holy Prophets were instructed in their Prophecies by God in such câ—stâ—sies and by Angels also for that which we read Zach. 2. 3. The Angel that talked with me in St. Hier. it is thus read Angelus qui loquebatur in me i. The Angel which spâ—ke in me and Terâ—ullian saith Ecstasis est qua Propheâ—ia Constat i. e. Tertul. de anima c. 21. Prophâ—cie doth coâ—sist in ecstasie and in the Primitive times of the Church before the ordinary gift of Prophetical Revelations was ceased St. Cyprian tells us Impletur apud nos Spiritu sancto puerorum innocens Cyp. l. 3. Epist 14. n. 71. aetas quae in ecstasi vidit oculis audit loquitur ea quibus nos Dominus monere dignatur i. With us children in their innocent age see and hear in ecstasies and declare to us suâ—h things as God doth vouchsase to admonish us of and St. Austin doâ—bteth not to call that Aug. de Gen. cap. 5. l. 6. wonderful sleep of Adam when the rib was taken out of him an ecstasie or divine â—apture Deus misit ecstasin in Adam evigilabâ—â— plenus Prophetiae inirans in curiam angeloâ—um i. e. God sent an ecstasie upon Adam he awaked full of Prophecy entring into the Court of angels and therefore Origen reckons Orig. in Cant. ho. 2. Adam amongst the Prophets Now when such ecstasies were brought upon men by God or good Angels from him the person so illuminated was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but if evil Angels invaded 2 Tim. 3. 16. and actuated mens minds then their ejaculations were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ethusiasmes because they proceeded from Satan the heathens god by which spirit the Oracles of the heathens gave answers in Pythonists and that spirit it was which spake in men possessed with an evil spirit so that many times when the Priest was in an extatical fury or madnesse he knew not what the evil spirit spake in him or her just as men possessed did not know what they said or did such persons were by the Church called â—nergâ—menâ— daemoniâ—â—â— that is such as were acted and wrought upon by evil spirits and therefore Tertullian translates this Tert. de anima c. 21. word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amentia madnesse they knowing no more what they said then that Serpent in which the devil spake when he tempted Eve For whereas the Spirit of God in divine exstasies did wonderfully enlighten holy Prophets who were therefore called Videntes i. Seâ—rs contrarily the spirit of Satan did mostly darken the minds of his Prophets and Demoniacks so that they perceived nothing of what their lips uttered and therefore Justin Martyr said of Justin lib. 1. ext n. 6. such Sibylla non intelligunt quae dicunt i. These Prophâ—â—â—sses do not understand what themselves prophâ—sie and Origen saith Pythia furit nec sui compos est dum promit Orig. cont Cels l. 7. n. 36. 〈◊〉 i. The Pythonisse is mad when she uttereth the Oraclâ—s and therefore such are commonly called Arrepâ—iâ—iâ— men forcibly snatcht and used but as an instrument by the evil spirit and the same Origâ—n tells Orig. Peri Arc. l. 3. c. 3. Hier. in vita Hilarion n. 10. us that Magicians would cause young Children to pronounce Poems which they never learned and St. Hierome writes of one Orionus a Demoniack in whom the evil spirit spake with many several voices at the same
time This is sufficient to shew in what manner those extatical apparitions probably might be presented to mens soules and also may be an argument of the soules sepaâ—ability because by this we perceive it may have operations which do not at all depend upon the body and in all these revelations and intercourses with Angels good and bad we cannot receive any certain intelligence what the state of the other world is CHAP. XIII Of the apparitions of the dead and that they are not the soules of men deceased but other spirits assuming their shapes ALthough the known Inhabitants of both parts of the other Woâ—ld I mean the holy Angels and the infernal spitits have oftentimes appeared to and conversed with mortal men yet still we are ignorant of the affaires both of the City of God and also of the infernal Sodome howbeit those spirits have shewed themselves in plausible shapes of men and of our friends and kindred and not in such terrible apparitions as might deter men from any converse with them for the Scripture declareth that God and good Angels have appeared in shapes of men and that evil Anâ—els have also appeared so as to Sâ—ul in the likenesse of Samuel and also to Christ in his temptation for no doubt Satan conversed with him in the similitude of a man and the Ecclesiâ—stical Writers asfirm the same Tertullian tells us that in the Tert. de anima c. 57. exorcismâ—s which the Church in his time used over men possessed with unclean spirits the spirit would say Se esse aliquem pâ—rentum aut bestiarium aut talem gladiatorem defunctum i That they wâ—re some of their forefathers or some beast-master or such a fencer deceased and again he saith that it was usual with Magicians Ibid. to tell men that the spirits which they raised were the soules of dead men and that they could raise the soules of the holy Prophets from the dead The like is also observed by St. Chrysostome that when evil spirits appeared Chrys Ser. 2. de Laz. n. 〈◊〉 unto men they used to say Monachi illius sum anima sed non câ—edo quia daemones dicunt i. I am the soul of such a Monk deceased but I do not believe it because the Devil said so and again he saith That Idem ibid. the Devil perswaded Conjurers and witches to murther some young men making them believe that the soules of those whom they murthered should become familiar spirits and be at the command of those Conjuâ—â—rs to serve them and fulfill their commâ—nds and in later times Johannes Wier de praestig l. 1. c. 15. Wierus writâ—s that to satisfie the curiosity of the Emperour Maximilâ—an the fiâ—st about the year of ouâ— Lord 1500 a certain Magician in his Court raised spirits representing the shapes of Hector Achiâ—es and David which visibly apâ—â—aâ—ed â—n the presence of the â—â—id Emperour Many more such instances may be alledged out of Wriâ—ers of approved credit but these may suffice to inform us that althouâ—h many have comâ— to us from the other world yet none have given us intelligence of the state of things there for although those apparitions good and bad have entertained discourse with men as with Saul and with the blessed Virgin yet of this particular they have been silent and for this reason perhaps Poets called such apparitions and ghâ—sts Silenâ—â—s umbras and therefore they had a pretty fiction that such spirits as returned to this life from the dead first drank of the a Virg. Aen. 6. Lâ—â—hean River to signifie that they were so silent of those affaires as if they had forgot what their condition was in the other world because either they would not or could not relate the stâ—â—y of it even in the holy Scripture the place of the dead is called the Land of forgeâ—fulnesse and that Psal 88. 12. which the Latine reads Anima mea habiâ—asset in infeâ—no qâ—i dâ—scendunâ— in insernum our English Translation reads Psal 94. 17. My soul had almost dwelt in silenâ—e and â—hey that go down inâ—o silence for this Psal 115. 17. reason as I suppose Necromancie or consulting with the dead is forbâ—dden by God Deuâ— 18. 11. not that we should think the dead can at their own pleasure or at the desire of the living return to us without the special diâ—pensation and appointment of God for St. Austiâ— assâ—â—â—d himself that if it were in the power of Aug. de Cur. pro Mort. c. 13. soules departed to come and converse with mortals his holy and most loving mother dâ—ceased who followed hâ—m by Sea and Land in her life would nor have been so long absent fâ—om him but would have come and administred comfort to him among his man old sorrowes and so he concludes out of the 27 Psal My faâ—her and my mother have forsâ—keâ— me But bâ—cause Psal 27. 10. God having dâ—termined to conceal from us the state of the dead and because men should not delude thâ—mselves nor be deluded by Satan by conversing with Devils when they were raised in the shapes of men departed this life therefore Necromancy is forbidden and indeed as Origen hath well noted upon that Law Orig. ho. 7 in Esai 22. that they that enquire of the dead A daemonihus quaerunt qui moâ—tui sunâ— Dâ—o i. Nâ—cromancers that enquâ—re of the dead do consult with Devils who are dead to God CHAP. XIV That the Commemoration of the dead in the prayers of the Church was intended principally to set forth the Immortality of their soules IF it be enquired to what end or purpose the ancient Church set up that custome of praying for the soules of men departed it will appear that the chief motive hereunto was to declare the Churches assured belief that the soules of men survived after this life was ended and conrinued in a state of Immortalâ—ty for it cannot appear clearly that the Church had any precept for it or any example in the Scripture and so much is acknowledged by Epiphanius when he wrote against that Aërius who separated from the Church partly because he disliked the custome of praying for the dead and cheifly because Eustatius was preferred to the Bishoprick before Aâ— ius I say Epiphanius Epiph. haer 75. confesseth that the Church performed those rites to the dead Tradiâ—ione à patribus accepâ—aÌ„ i. because the ancient Fathers did so before his time and from them the Church received that custome for saith he Quis poterit Ib. n. 22. statutum matris dissoâ—â—â—re aut legem paâ—ris i. Who can dissolve the statutes of the Church our Mother or the laws of the Fathers and it cannot appear to us what benefit the dead receive by the prayers of the living nor hath the ancient Church fully satisfied us herein for St. Ambrose prayed for the deceased Emperor Theodosius Ambr. de obit Theod. n. 47. whom he then beleeved to be in lumine Sanâ—torum
expâ—cted in this life for against this thorn in the flesh did this Apostle pray â— but it was answered My Gâ—â—ce iâ— sufficient That 2 Cor. 12. 7. is no other deliverance may be had but power by grace to resist this temptation yet not so much power as to annihilate and quite extinguish it in this life If it be here objected that the Holy Scriptures acknowledge Gen. 6. 9. Job 1. 1. Luke 1. 5. some persons just and righteous and perfect ones as Job and Noah and Zecharie the answer is that this perfection doth not imply impeccancie or impeccability for such just men fall seven times Prov. 24. 16. Noah was just but it is said there in his generation such may be called perfect Travellers but not perfect Possessors having not yet finished their course so a child is called perfect which hath all his limbs and lineaments compleat yet is far from a perfect man and a perfect man is yet far short of Angelicall perfection Men are called just who are not Aug. de natura Grat. â— 38. free from sin Justi suâ—runt sine peccato non suerunt That this truth hath been ever acknowledged by the Church may appear in that the Apostle saith â—f we say we havë no sin we deceive our selves civitas 1 Joh. 1. 8. Dei oâ—atâ— dimiâ—te nobis debiâ—a the universall Church in the time of prayer saith Forgive us our trespasses Indeed Aug. de Civit l. 19. c. 22. De peccat merito l. 2. c. 6. S. Austin confesseth That a man may sometime live without acting a sin yet that any mortall man can be without sin he denyeth For when the Pelagians urged that the Virgin Mary was without sin he desired to be excused from all accusation of that Blessed Mother of our Lord God yet he was assured that all Saints on earrh would submit to that speech of Ambr. de Jacob l. 1. c. 6. Hier. ad Ctesiphon cap. 5. Id. Cont Pelag l. 2. cap. 8. Saint Iohn If we say we have no sin c. Sainâ— Ambrose saith Non glâ—riâ—r quia justus sum sâ—d quia redemptus not glorying in Justice but in Justification St. Hierom saith men are called just not because they are without sin but because they are endowed with many vertues as Ezechias was a just man though he sinnâ—d and wept he did not lose the repute of a just man for some sins but he retained it because withall he performed many just and worthy actions besides a man is â—steemed righteous when his unâ—ighteousnesse is forgiven as he is â—steemed with God a performer of the Law whose transgrâ—ssions are pardoned Omnia Aug. Retract 1. c. 19. mandata facta deputanâ—ur quando quiâ—quid non fit ignosciâ—ur Now that the rebellion of flesh and blood or concupiscâ—nce doth contâ—nually dwell in all mankind during this life may clearly appear in the Holy Person of Saint Paul by his own words for thus he writes Rom. 7. 19. The goâ—d that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do f we inquire what evill it is which the Apostle would not do and yet did it it must needs be answered that evill concupiscences or carnall lusts did arise in him which he desired to be quit of and free from that they might not all be in him but because evill concupiscences will ever be in mortal men therefore his next care is that such desires may be râ—sisted so that they proceed not into action as he saith Rom. 6. 12. Let not sin reign in your mortall body that ye should obey iâ— in the lusts thereof he doth not say let it not be for it will alwaies be in us but let it not rule and pâ—evail over Grace So Gala. 5 16. wâ—lk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh he doth say ye shall not have those lusts but not fulfill and peâ—form them and ver 17. Ye cannot do the thing that ye would that is because ye cannot as you desire be free and quit from evill desires so as no evill desires at all should arise in you yet resist them do not obey them Tene Aug. de Verb. Dei ser 43. manus pedes ocuâ—oâ— c. withhold your members from acting those carnal suggestions Where he saith What I hate that I do We are not Rom. 7. 15. to imagine that the Apostle meaneth that although he hated fornication adultery rapine c. yet he did act these things but he meaneth that he hated evill lusts which yet did continually arise in him he desired they might not all be in him Nolo concupiscere tamen conâ—upisco O â—i tamen Aug. de verbis Apost ser 5. ago quamvis membraâ—â—eneo arma nego So himself adviseth Rom. 6. 13 Yâ—â—ld not your members as iâ—st â—ments of unrighteousness Although sinfull desires arise in Id de Temp. Ser. 45. your carnall heart Rebellant râ—bella pugnant pugna This is the strife betwen the flesh and the spirit he did continually resist those temptations Luctabatur noâ— Id. ibid. subjugâ—baâ—ur alwayes strâ—ving with them but not overcome by them Rom 8. 8. They that are in the flesh cannot please God Though holy men are in the flesh yet because they are not over-ruled by the flesh they do please Id. de verbis Apost Ser. 6. God Carnem portant sed non pâ—rtantur ab â—a Where he saith Rom. 7. 25. With the mind I my self serve the Law of God but with the flesh the Law of sin We are not to think that the naturall mind or intellective faculty of this Apostle was free from carnall concupiscence for by nature our whole man body and soul is carnall but the mind here signifieth his understanding reformed and renued by the Spirit of God for the very naturall spirit or mind of man needeth â— renuing by the Spirit of Grace as himself saith Ephes 4. 23. Bâ— râ—nued in the Spirit of your mind When he saith Rom. 7. 17. It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me His meaning is not to excuse himself so as if he were without sin and blameless But that his Spirituall part or in ward man did detest that which his carnall part or outward man did suggest Just so doth this Apostle ascribe his holy and spirituall actions not to himself but to the Grace of the Spirit as 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more then they all yet not I but the Grace of God which was with me So 1 Cor. 7. 10. I command yet not I but the Lord. So again Gal. 2. 20. The conclusion is that The Son himself that is to say Christ as he is considered with the plenitude of his Mysticall Body and so is the Whole Christ cannot be perfectly subject and obedient to the Godhead untill this mortall hath put on immortality and our naturall body be raised a Spirituall body when
of God the Son and the reason and purpose why he was Incarnate THe Mysterie of the Incarnation of God is frequently in Scripture set forth unto us when the Saviour promised is said to be the seed of the woman the seed of Abraham Emmanuel the Son of David the Word made flesh taking the form of a servant and most evidently of all Heb. 2. 14 taking part of the same flesh and blood with us men And yet this commenter tels us that Christ can not be said to be Incarnate 31. c. 2. v. 14. though both of them are confessed to partake of flesh and blood a bould assertion but false and dull untheological unphilosophical for here are two Propositions both false and one of them blasphemous also I. The faithful are not Incarnate Faithfulnes or unfaithfulnes doe not hinder Incarnation the question must be whether a man may be said to be Incarnate if every man prove Incarnate then must Christ also be so for he is a perfect man and more also a very smal matter will give a denomination a man that hath but a gowne on his back is denominated Tâ—gatus and shall not he who hath an immortal soule united with his flesh be called incarnate to be incarnate is to be in Carne i in the flesh I hope you will not denie that the soule of a man whilest it is in the bodie may be said to be Incarnate the soule of a man can exist without the body and is seperable and when it shall be parted from the body then it is Discarnated but when it is joyned with the body who will doubt to say it is incorporated or incarnated now from the Incarnation of this principal and essential part of man the whole man is said to be Incarnate S. Paule knew a man whether in the body or out the body he could not tell 2 Cor. 12. 2. surely a man in the body may be called Incorporate and so Incarnate and Gal. 2. 20. the life which I now live in the flesh S. Paule saith he lived in the flesh in Corne therfore he thought himself incarnate againe Phil. 1. 22. If I live in the flesh abide in the flesh is more needful for you S. Paule is one of the faithfull and he confessed that he lived abode in the flesh therfore he was in Carne incarnate I never read that a beast is called incarnate because the body and soule of a beast cannot both exist if seperated as mans soule and body doe therfore the fathers spake of them as of two distinct men Care anima duo homines exterior interior Amb. de Inst veig l. 2. n. 35. Naz. Epist 94 n. 38. Ath. de Incar n. 23. Tert. de anim c. 9. Mens cujusque is est quisque Tul in Som. Scip. Ro. 7. 14. 1 Cor. 2. 14. i. the soule and the body two men the outward and the inward man Apud nos Philosophus Anima vocantur externus internus homo i. The Philosopher with his soule are called by us the outward and the inward man just so saith Athanasius and Tertullian although he went too far in saying the soul was corporeal If any the soule a man be denominated Animatus shall he not as well from his flesh be called Carnatus I am sure in Scripture a man is called both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Carnal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Animalis because he hath some of the natural inclinations of soule and body in him not wholly subdued by the Spirit If wee will speak strictly and properlie Incarnation must principally be said of the Soule because that part of us in its owne nature is incorporeal but being joyned with the flesh becomes Incarnate it seemes by Moses description of the Creation Gen. 2. 7. that the body of man was framed before the soule was insufflated and both Orâ—gen and divers Philosophers before him thought that the soule was more ancient then the bodie and they called the body the sepulcher and Theod. de div decret l. 5. n. 17. Ambr. Epist l. 4. n. 53. id in Hex l. 6. c. 6. Tert. de anim prison of the Soul and the Christian writers said of it to the like purpose one calleth it Tunicam Pelliceam Adami and againe Caro est amictus animae and another cals it Domum animae and another vestimentum animae and saith that the soule is but inquilinus corporis i. the body is the coat of skin the apparel the howse of Chrys ho. 5. Antioc the soule and the soule is but a temporary inmate of the body the departure of the soule is like the putting off the apparrel of the body the 2. souldier-martyrs in id Epist ad Olymp. n. 39. Chrysostome calleth their bodies Indusium ultimum i. the innermost garment of the soule and of the holy woman Olympics he said That she was more ready to put of her body for Christ then others were to put of their apparel wherfore as when our naked bodyes are invested with garments they are said to be apparrelled so our souls clothed with our flesh are said to be Incarnate the Apostle describes the reuniting of our souls and bodies at the resurrection by this phrase of putting on immortalitie then I think no Christian will denie that when our souls after a long discontinuance from our flesh shall be restored and reunited with our bodies they may be said to be Incarnate or re Incarnate and the same kind of reasoning will much more prove the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus against the Commenters second proposition viz. 2. Christ the Captaine of the faithfull is not Incarnate Because the Ingredients of which our Jesus the Emmanuel is Composed are two viz. the divine nature or Godhead and the humane nature or manhood and because one of these ingredients I meane the Godhead had a real and seperate being by it self without flesh and without a body from all Eternitie before the creation of the world and because the same divine nature in the fulnes of time did assume an humane body and so partake of our flesh and blood I may now well say that our God is Incarnate because he is in carne in the flesh so that his Godhead and manhood are as the principles and ingredients of one Compound for they are but one person one Christ one Emmanuel because that divine nature which before had bin entire and single by it self is now joyned with another inferior nature the Scripture expresseth the mysterie in this phrase Joh. 1. 14. The word was made flesh he saith the word rather then the Son because the word signifieth his pure Godhead but the Son may also signifie his humane nature and that alone too for if Christ were nothing but a mere man yet hee might be called the Son but he could not be called the Word This is that which in Scripture is called God manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. and Christ is
progenitor Therfore Christ sinned in Adam This consequence is false because Christ did not so proceed from Adam as Levi did from Abraham that is by way of carnal generation and therfore Christ did not attract sin from Adam as Levi did from Abraham so as is said before But yet because Christ took flesh from Adam therfore all the pressures included in the curse on Adam were intayled on Christ sin only excepted as mortalitie and the consequences therof sorrowâ— labour wearines hunger abasement and subjection Tâ—â—e it is that Abraham paying tithesâ—oo Melchisedech which was in the nature of an homage or political submission and acknowledgment as holding the Land of promise to him and his seed by the donation of the Lord of Heaven who is the Messiah he did in this act include all the tribes which were to proceed from him to submit as homagers to the said Messiah represented in his type Melchisedech even as earthly Lords their successors do homage to their superior princes for lands held of them But what is this to intayling of sin Original sin is not derived to posterity by any such external acts I doubt not but Christ himself as man and as the seed of Abraham was involved in this homage Mat. 17. 27. See beneath l. 3. c. 17. and therfore did actually pay tribute and submit to the law as other Israelites did Of which tribute paying and also of the difference between Levies and Christ's being in the loins of Abraham I shal say more in the last chapter at the close of this third book Now for conclusion that it may appeare that our saviour is a compleat high-priest every way accomplished with all abilities and requisits needful to the great work of mans redemption of him it is spoken Psal 89. 19 I have laid help upon One that us mighty who Psal 89. 19. Psal 132. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 19. Act. 20. 28. 1 Cor. 15. 47. 1 Tim. 3. 16. Isa 9. 6. Joh. 20. 28. 1 Cor. 2. 8. Heb. 7. 26. is no lesse then the mighty God of Jacob. The blood which he shed for us is justly by S. Peter called Precious for it was the blood of God This second Adam Incarnate for us is no less then The Lord from Heaven and God manifest in the flesh and The mighty God the everlasting Father the prince of peace he that was wounded for us is called by the Apostle my Lord and my God he that was crucified for us was no less then the Loâ—d of glory and in his very humiliation of the humane nature he was holy harmless undefiled and seperate from sinners To him be all honour and glorie and thanksgiving for ever CHAP. XII That the unregenerate man is redeemed by Christ and that the Spirit of Christ is communicated to him BUt in the second place it would be inquired what Interest the unregenerate man hath in Christ how he can lay any claime to Christs sufferings for although it be true that Christ hath taken the unregenerate man's nature on him yet may wee or can we truly say that the unregenerate man hath received the Spirit of Christ into him If this will not be granted Christ cannot be a person idoneous or fitly qualified to be his redeemer because as such a redeemer must take somthing from man so man must also receive somthing from him that by giving and taking the redeemer and redeemed may be united and so considered as one bodie and that must be by receiving the Spirit from Christ as Christ received flesh from man which is elegantlie expressed by Prosper in his poem Vt nos insercret Summis se miscuit Imis That man Prosp de Ingrat n. 41. might be joyned unto God God joyned himself with man Now it seemeth that the Spirit of Christ is also communicated to the unregenerate man because wee find in Scripture that he also hath an interest in Christ and a claime and title to him for the Scripture declareth that the benefit of Christ's death and by it redemption is offered to all men of what condition soever whether good or bad regenerate or unregenerate beleevers or unbeleevers for the Gospel is sent to all the world and to every creature Mar. 16. 15. and One of the maine points of the Gospel is the offer of the benefit of redemption by the death of Christ of which the Scripture saith 2 Cor. 5. 15. that he died for all so Rom. 8. 32. 1 Tim. 2. 6. and againe Heb. 2. 9. He tasted death for every man here is the benefit of Christs death offered Omnibus singulis i. to all and every man and more particularly it is offered to the ungodly Rom. 5. 6. Christ died for the ungodly and more plainly yet it is offered to them that shall perish and be destroied for S. Paule saith 1 Cor. 8. 11. Through thy knowledg shall thy weak brother perish for whom Christ dâ—ed and againe he saith Rom. 14. 15 Destroy not him with thy meate for whom Christ died And to put it out of all doubt that Christ did indeed offer the benefit of redemption to them that not only may possibly perish but even to such as actually shall perish S. Peter saith 2 Pet. 2. 1. There shall be false teachers which denie the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction false teachers are the most unlikely to have any benefit by Christ for Rev. 20. 10. the devil the beast and the false Prophet are joyned in the lake of fire and brimston and yet wee see the benefit of redemption was offered to false Prophets This is the Doctrine of the Church of England and so it was of the Church Primitive as appeareth by diverse testimonies for S. Ambrose saith Ethnicus haereticus peccator sanguine Amb. in symb Apost c 25. Christi redempti sunt i Not only the sinner but the heathen and the heretick are redeemed by the blood of Christ and Athanasius delivereth the same doctrine not only as being his single opinion but as the judgment of the Council of Sardice Deus pro illis Arrâ—anis Ath. in Epâ—st synodi Sardic â— n. 15. and pro nobis omnibus mortem subiit i God who is the president of the Church did suffer death both for the Arrians and for all us and yet no heresie is more opposite to redemption by Christ then the Arrian and this is also set forth by Nazianzen Arriani divinitatis acerbi Naz. Orat. 38 expensores diaboli figmenta pro quibus Christus mortuus ingratae Creaturae i the Arrian's are the most malicious examiners of Christ's divinitie and yet Christ died for these unthankfull creatures who are the figment of the devil but most home is the judgment of S. Chrysostom Christus mortuus est pro inimicis pro tyrannis Chrys hom 76. Constant n 24. pro maleficis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro Osoribus pro crucifigentibus atque pro his ipsis
our whole Man in our Redemption Thus having said so much concerning this question I submit the determination thereof to the Judicious Reader onely adding this that if Christ did indeed take not onely his Body but the whole man by traduction from Adam we may most comfortably entertain a more evident and reasonable Argument of the Redemption both of our bodies and soules by him because hereby we may conceive our selves to be joyned and united unto Christ in a more noble tie then onely in our flesh that as he hath communicated his Divine Spirit to Man as is shewed before so our humane Spirit is communicated to him CHAP. XV. That the Spirit of God is communicated to the unregenerate and of the diversitie of the Measures and the graces therof IN the next place I am to shew how the Spirit of God is said to be communicated to men unregenerate as I promised before and this because many men are apt to beleeve that to have the Spirit of God is a grace proper and peculiar only to those that are the the Sanctified holy ones but the contrarie will appeare a none for a man may have Gods Spirit in him yea and divers common gifs and graces of that Spirit and yet remaine unsanctified and void of vertue and holines Aug. de beat vita n. 16. S. Austin saith Omnis homo deum habet nec tâ—mâ—n omnis beatus est i. every man hath God in him and yet every man is not in a state of blessednes so there is in every man a natural goodnes for every creature is good and where goodnes is there is God though this natural bonitie may be mixed with a great deale of moral pravitie and the same Spirit of God worketh in all men but yet to several purposes and with several Naz. Orat. 44. operations and in diverse degrees Spiritas spirat quando vult super quos vult quantum vult i The Spirit bloweth when it will and on whom it will so much as it will and though the Spirit of God be alwayes in man yet men doe not alwayes perceive it Aug. Confes. lib. 9. c. 4. Id. n. 88. or consider it S. Austin confessed Christus miserat spiritum in me Ego nesciebam i Christ had sent his Spirit into me and I knew it not and againe he saith â—git Spiritus Domini per bonos malos per Scientes nescientes ut per Caipham i The Spirit of the Lord worketh by good and bad by men that know it and by men that know it not as it did by Caiphas Men may have the Spirit of God and Operations of that Spirit in them and some graces also of that Spirit and yet those graces possibly shall not be operative so high as to Sanctification neither are they such high graces as divines call Gratum facientes But yet graces they are for grace is but a free gift and therfore is it called grace because it is Gratis data i freely given There may be grace in those persons who are not therby rendered favourable gracious or acceptable in Gods sight for even our natural endowments and temporal blessings and our very Creation rightly considered will appeare to be an act of Gods grace and therfore men do usually give thanks to God for their very Creation This doctrine of the great variety of graces and workings of Gods Spirit is most evidently set forth 1 Cor. 12. There are diversities of gifts and diversities of operations but the same Spirit the same Lord the same God And you may find mention of many graces there which are not saving or sanctifying graces but are Common even to reprobates as knowledge healing prophecie toungs c. Which wee know may be and are found in men not Sanctified even the knowledg and skill of manual arts are the operations of Gods Spirit in man which no divine will say are saving or sanctifying graces as wee read of Bâ—zaleel Ex. 35. 31. That he was filled with the Spirit of God in wisedome and in all manner of workmanship to devise Curious workes and to worke in Gold Silvâ—â— and brass Philosophers use to say If heaven stood still man could not move so much as his litle finger but surely if God were not Primus Motor in us to be as the soule of our soules we could not live or move and though God be in man and operateth in him yet his operations are diversified by divers degrees in some he worketh but weakly and low in others higher and stronger even to produce holines and happines but though the Spirit of God be in every man yet this Spirit is not a Sanctifier in every man as he is not Paracletus i a Comforter in every man this doctrine hath bin taught of old by the ancients Deus in est multiformiter Richard de S. Vict. de Trin. l. 2. c. 23. secundum participationem Gratiae aliis per participationem potentiae aliis vita aliis sapientiae aliis bonitatis aliis beatitudinis imanum suam parcius vel largius extendens i God is in us by distributing his graces in great diversitie some partake of power some of life only others have wisdome others goodnes others blessednes for so doth he open his hand more or less as he pleaseth The Spirit of God in Scripture is often resembled to water because as the same water falling from heaven in raine upon several Creatures produceth in them great diversitie and varietie of effects Aqua in spiâ—is alba in rosis rubra in Cyril Hieroâ— n. 18. hyacinthis purpurea i The same raine in the thorne produceth a white flower on the rose bush a red and on the hyacinth a purple Colour So doth the Spirit produce diversitie of effects in men so againe Aqua in Aug. de Mirab. script l. 1. c. 18. vite vinum â—it in apibus mel in Oliva olâ—um i Water in the vine is made wine in the Olive tree Oyl in bees honie in man blood teares c. And the like illustration is used by Epiphanius Chrysost To shew Epiph. in Ane Chrys ho. 4. Antioch that the same Spirit of the same God in some mea produceth but life or understanding in others it produceth those effects and more also as wisdome judgment counsel in others more also as faith hope charitie fortitude even to martyrdome and to blessednes the effect of Gods Spirit in Samson was seen eminently in his great strength in Solomon it was great wisdome in Moses mâ—eknes in the Prophets foresight all these are gifts of one and the same Spirit though in such great varietie and when the Scripture mentioneth divers Spirits as Esa 11. 2 Rev. 1 4 It meaneth severall gifts and graces of one and the same Spirit wee may observe that Elisha 2 Kings 2. 9. did not pray for two Spirits but duplex Spiritus that the same Spirit of Eliah might be doubled on him that is increased
or heightned in him to greater power and efficacie and whereas David prayed Psal 51. 11. take not thy holie Spâ—rit from me it will not follow that David feared he should be left destitute altogether of the Spirit of God but that it might remaine with him in some degree at least but he prayed for the Continuance and Manifestation of Gods help and assistance by the Spirit in the same manner as before he had it because as Prosper observeth Cessatio auxilii pro absentia accipitur i God Pros ad Dem. n. 59. is said to depart from man when he withholdeth his help albeit God is essentially alwayes present so when he withdraweth one grace yet he may manifest his presence by some other grace for every man hath not every grace of the Spirit S. Hierom in one of his exegetical Epistles upon these words 1 Cor. 15. 28. That God may be all in all saith Adhuc Deus est nisi pars Hier. Epist 147. n. 30. in singulis ut sapientia in Solomone patientia in Job post erit omnia in omnibus cum Sancti omnes virtutes habuerint i In this life God is but a part in men as wisdome in Solomon patience in Job but in the next life God will be all in all for then his Saints shall be induced with all vertues And wheras it is said Joh. 7. 39. The holie Ghost was not yet given Yet wee are sure that it was given before both to the Prophets and also to the Apostles but the meaning is as S. Austin expounds it Non quia nulla datio antea sed quia non talis quae de Aug. de Trin. lib. 4. c. 17. n. 72 Linguis legitur i Not as if there had bin no gift of the Spirit before but because the Spirit was not before given in that kind and manner as it was at the feast of Pente cost and so doth S. Cyril resolve the same doubt Cyril Hieros Cat. 16. Spiritus idem descendebat in Pentecoste qui anteà sed tum Copiosiùs i It was the same Spirit that descended at the Pentecost which came before but now it came more Copiouslie Thus are God and man united he taking our flesh and we receiving his Spirit upon this consideration S. Cyprian saith Cum Corpus â— terra Spiritum possideamus Cyp. de Orat. Dom. n. 82. e caelo Ipsi câ—lum tâ—rra sumus i Man is the union of heaven and earth because our bodies are from the earth but we possesse a Spirit which came from heaven CHAP. XVI That the Spirit of God is given to men nâ—â— sanctified how those are said to be Gods anointed who were not anointed with Oile that our King is Gods anointed somthing concerning the Kings touching and Curing the diseased BUt why should we doubt to affirme that the Spirit of Jesus our only Lord God is communicated even to men unregenerate and that in such men this Spirit doth manifest it's presence in some lower degree by some common graces which doe not sanctifie them in whom they are seeing that we find in Scripture that both heathen and wicked Kings are called Gods anointed for Esa 45. 1. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus yet this Cyrus both lived and died an heathen So King Saul though an Israelite yet a wicked man is called 2 Sam. 1. 14. The Lords anointed Now we know that Vnction doth not alwayes signifie only an External or Ceremonial anointing with Oile but it signifieth also the inward gift and inhabitation of the Spirit of God for wee find that those men are said to be Gods anointed whom we cannot find to have bin externally anointed with Oile for so Christ is said to be anointed Psal 45. 7. Yet not with external Oile so also Abraham Jsaac and Jacob Psal 105. 15. are called Gods anointed yet we find not that they were anointed with Oile but these holie ones are therfore said to be anointed because the Spirit of God was in them which is the true and reall unction wheras external ointment is but the signe therof in like manner because Cyrus an heathen is called Gods anointed and yet was never anointed with Oile it must needs follow that his unction was internal and that he was therfore called Gods anointed because God had put his Spirit into him Iâ—say his Spirit although not working so high as to Sanctification in Cyrus but yet a Spirit of wisdome and kingly fortitude and of skill and knowledg politicall and militarie To enable him to governe which gifts are the effect of Gods Spirit And this is the exposition which the ancients give concerning those forenamed unctions first for Christ Euseb us saith Non apparet Christum unctum fuisse communi oleo sed divino Eus de Dem. lib. 5. c. 2. Spiritu i It can not appeare that Christ was anointed with common Oâ—le Ceremonialie but he was anointed with the divine Spirit and so saith Athanasius Oleum Ath. Orat. 2. Cont. Arian Opt. lib 4. Atha Orat. Cont. Aria n 8. Christi est Spiritus sanctus i The Oile of Christ was the holie Spirit and just so saith Optatus and what this unction of Christ was and wherin it consisted is shewed by the same Athanasius upon those words God of God unitio verbi cum carne vo catur unctâ—o i The union of the Godhead with the manhood was Christ's unction Now for the anointing of meere men and that without any infusion of Oile Eusebius saith Dei Spiritus Eus de Dem. l. 4. c. 15. est dei Oleum i The Oile of God is the Spirit of God and he tels further in the same place that Abraham Isaac and Jacob are called Gods anointed Propter divinum Spiritum cujus participes erant i By reason of Gods Spirit with which those holie patriarks were indued and to the same purpose S. Basil saith Spiritus Basil hom de Bapt. n. 14. sanctus est unctio in nobis i our unction is the holie Spirit which is in us For so it is said also of our Saviour expresly Act. 10. 38. God anointed Iesus of Nazareth with the holie Ghost The appellation of Christ and of Christian is from this unction and we use to say of infants when they are baptized that they are made Christians which signifieth anointed not because of the old Ceremonie of Crisme or anoâ—â—ting with Oile which with us hath bin long agoe disused but as Dionysius formerlie when it was in use gave the reason unction and Christian signifie deificam Spiritus communionem Dionys Areop eccleâ— her c. 2. i The communication of the divine Spirit because wee beleeve that God with the external Sacrament conferreth the inward grace which beleife the ancients did represent by their anointing the baptized with Oile Now if it may app are that by vertue of such an internal Unction of which I spake in Cyrus some unregenerate men have actually exercised and performed
The everlasting Covenant and Rev. 14. 6. The Eternal Gospel and must needs be meant in those places of Scripture where mention is made of Eph. 1. 4. Electing us in Christ before the foundation of the World and of 2 Tim. 1. 9. Calling us according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began and of 1 Pet. 1. 20. Christ ordained for our Redemption before the foundation of the World Of which there is a full discourse in my Third Book and eighth Chapter This Covenant doth necessarily imply a plurality of persons in the Godhead One to require and injoyn another to restipulate and which is requisite in all Covenants a third Person distinct from the Contractors as a stander-by and Witnesse thereof So in this Covenant First God the Father requireth obedience upon pain of death Secondly God the Son undertaketh for man's performance or penalty or both Thirdly God the Holy-Ghost is witnesse between the Father and the Son for oftentimes in Scripture we read of the Spirit bearing witnesse For though the Father the Son and the Spirit are all said to bear witnesse for our assurance as Joh. 8. 18. I am one that bear witnesse of my self and my Father that sent me and 1 Joh. 5. 7. There are three that bear witnesse in heaven and Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit beareth witnesse with our Spirit But before the Creation who could be a witnesse between the Father and the Son save onely the Eternal Spirit of the Father and the Son Nor can it be imagined that this Covenant and restipulation could be enacted by One single Person for the Law-giver must be considered as a Soveraign onely and the persons upon whom the Law is imposed are as subjects so it will be dissonant from right reason to fasten the Legislation and subjection upon the self-same person Now supposing the Law made and the penalty determined and set down it cannot be denyed that the Supream Law-giver hath naturally and absolutely a power of relaxation and dispensation so that he may remit the punishment for breach of his own Law and of meer grace without any satisfaction forgive the offender but if the said Law-giver do decree and by his Word bind himself to punish the offender as he did when he said Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye hereby he doth confine and restrain himself from using the Imperial prerogative of free pardon which otherwise he might have granted and hence it is that a Satisfaction must needs be exacted necessitate hypothetica as Divines say upon supposal of the said decree and upon this reason Jesus Christ our Surety becomes liable to his dreadfull Passion and death Touching the Passion of Christ in Satisfaction of Gods Justice for the sins of men the Socinian Writers do utterly deny it as being unjust to punish one for another and especially an innocent for a malefactor and they call this doctrine of Christ's satisfaction as Vossius reporteth Ger. Joh. Vossii Defens Grotii c. 13. Dogma nugatorium frigidum falsum injustum et horribilitèr blasphemum Their reasons are very considerable for they say that God hath by his Prophets and Apostles declared the contrary as Deut. 24. 1◠Every man shall be put to death for his own sin Jer. 31. 30. Every one shall dye for his own sin he that eateth sower grapes his teeth shall be set on edge Eze. 18. 4. The soul that sinneth it shall dye Gal. 6. 5. Every man shall bear his own burthen 1 Pet. 1. 17. God judgeth according to every mans work The Answer hereunto usually given is That because God doth actually punish one for another it must needs be just because God doth it but this answer doth not satisfie the Adversary neither doth it I confesse satisfie me for God doth not so Therefore for the better satisfaction of my self in this weighty question and perhaps of others also I offer to the consideration of the Learned Reader these two Propositions following First The Passion of Christ neither is nor ought to be accounted the punishment of one for another but the same that offended the same is punished Secondly The sins of the elect Members of Christ are not to be accounted onely the sins of the Elect but are justly charged on the score of Jesus Christ being their Surety and Redeemer These two Propositions may perhaps seem at first Paradoxical but I trust I shall prove them to be truly Catholick and Orthodox For the first That Christ's Sufferings are 1. Proposition not the punishment of one for another I have learned from St. Bernard Bernard Epist 190. Omnium peccata unus portavit nec alter jam inveniatur qui forefecit alter qui satisfecit quia caput corpus unus est Christus satisfecit caput pro membris i. One bare the sins of all so that we cannot say One forfeited and another satisfied because the head and body are but one Christ the head satisfied for the members So the Husband and Wife are but one person in Law an action of debt is not brought against the wife but the husband so the principal debtor and the Surety are in Law but one person and either of them are liable to payment or penalty This first Proposition is grounded on the doctrine of Christ's Vnion and conjunction with his members which Vnion is of such weighty concernment that without it it is impossible to salve or unfold the mysterious riddles of Gods operations and words in the businesse of man's Salvation and therefore the holy Scriptures and ancient Doctors have with very great abundance of testimonies asserted this necessary truth See first what the Scriptures say Rom. 12. 5. We being many are one body in Christ Eph. 5. 30. We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Gal. 3. 28. Ye are all one in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 1 Cor. 12. 2. By one Spirit ye are all baptized into one body Eph. 4. 4. There is one body and one Spirit This is because the same Spirit that is in Christ is also in his members and because there is but one Spirit uniting the head and members therefore the head and members are but one body having the same Spirit residing in both for so it is said Eph. 3. 17. Christ dwelleth in your hearts and 2 Cor. 13. 5. Jesus Christ is in you 1 Cor. 6. 19. Your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost Joh. 15. 1. I am the vine ye are the branches This Union of the members with Christ the Head is called by the Apostle a recapitulation Eph. 1. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as Bishop Andrews observeth Andr. de Nativ Serm. 16. A gathering of all to the head for as God is one with Christ as Christ is God so we are one with Christ as Christ is man who is therefore called
Emmanuel as being one with us Let us next see what the Ancient Doctors conceived of this Union to avoid prolixity I will instance onely in St. Austin who saith Aug. in Psal 17. Christus Ecclesia est totum Christi caput corpus And upon those words My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and I cry in the day time and thou hearest not and Let this Cup passe from me and Not my will but thy will be done he saith In Psal 21. Christus dicit de te de me de illo corpus suum gerebat scilicet Ecclesiam membrorum vox erat non timebat mori sed pro his dixit qui mortem timent And again he saith in Ps 26. Omnes in illo Christi Christus sumus totus Christus caput corpus And upon those words Saul Saul why persecutest thou me he saith in Ps 30. Sic vâ—cem pedis suscipit lingua clamat calcas me in membris Christi Christus est Christus est multa membra unum corpus And in Ps 100. Christum induti Christus sumus cum capite nostro cum Christo capite unus homo sumus And in Ps 103. Omnes nos in Christo credentes unus homo sumue And in Ps 127. Multi Christiani unus Christus unus homo Christus caput corpus And in Ps 119. Omnes Sancti sunt unus homo in Christo The summe of all is That Christ and his Members are united so that they are one body and as one person for as the head and inferiour parts in one man are but one body so Christ and his members are but one Christ which the same Father calleth in Ps 36. Ser. 2. Ps 37. Christum plenum And Corpus Christi diffusnm Neither is the Church of England silent in this great mystery of our union with Christ for to shew that the grand reason and the intent and purpose for which Christ ordained the holy Supper was especially to set forth this Union of himself and members to be such as our food is to and with our bodies bread and wine unite themselves to us they grow into one body with us So she saith to faithful Communicants The Exhortat at the Commun That we dwell in Christ and Christ in us We be one with Christ and Christ with us And this also was the reason of instituting Baptisme as St. Paul expresseth it to be baptized Rom. 6. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into Christ and 1 Cor. 12. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into one body Baptisme is the mysterious sign of our entrance into Christ But the Eucharist is the mystery of Christs entring into us for so St. John maketh the like distinction 1 Joh. 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us and after him St. Austin Aug. in Joh. Tract 48. Si benè cogitemus Deus in nobis est Si benè vivamus nos in Deo sumus and indeed this union is principally meant in the Article of the Communion of Saints which in our Creed we professe to believe This Union in Scripture is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Communion The great Sacrament thereof is therefore called by St. Paul 1 Cor. 10. 16. The Communion of the body and blood of Christ and because our union with Christ doth unite us with the whole Trinity the Apostle tells us 1 Joh. 1. 3. 1 Cor. 1. 9. Our fellowship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and this is also called 2 Cor. 13. 13. Philip. 2. 1. The fellowship of the Holy Ghost the fellowship of the Spirit But there is a great difference between our common or general union with the whole Trinity and our speciall and particular union with Christ alone for with all the three Persons we are united only by the Spirit because to us is given the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of the Father and the Son But with the Son we are joyned and united in a threefold bond 1. Spiritu 2. Carne 3. Vadimonio Not onely by his Spirit in us but also in Nature for he assumed flesh with us from the self-same lump of the first man and moreover he is joyned to us in the strong bond of Vadimonie or Suretiship in that everlasting Covenant of Grace before mentioned Concerning the manner of our union with Christ one scruple is to be removed for if we say that we are really and substantially one body with him this doctrine may seem to affirm a personal or hypostatical union of us men with God such as is the union of the Godhead and manhood in Christ so we should make our body the body of God as Christs natural body is and so we make our selves God as Christ is God but this must be confessed to be intolerable blasphemy Our answer is That though Christ and his Church are indeed one body yet they are not one body natural and consubstantial but a body mystically Political as a Corporation a Society a Fraternity not Corpus continuum but Collectivum or aggregativum thus thousands of Souldiers are One Army many graines of corn are but One heap Unae quinque Minae Plaut in Pseud many pieces of money are One summe many letters and lines in one Epistle we call Vnas literas Tully calls one suit of apparel consisting of many parcels Cic. Orat. pro L. Flacco Vna vestimenta and we read Plaut in Trinum Vnos sex dies in Plautus Just so St. Austin expresseth this mystery of Christs body upon those words Psal 11. 1. Salvum me fac Domine Aug. de Unitate Eccles Cap. 13. To. 7. Sic est unus homo qui ait salvum me fac ut ex multis constet for though Christ and his members are many Ones and many Severals which are not united by any internal or natural form yet because they all have one and the same Spirit of Christ in them they are united and made one body or mystical corporation by that one Spirit of Christ of which it is said 1 Cor. 12. 13. By one Spirit ye are all baptized into one body and of these many severals it is said Ro. 12. 5. We being many are one body in Christ So a body Politick consisting of a multitude of individuals is made one Corporation by the Charter of the Prince and their own agreement but if upon dissension they be tumultuously gathered we rather call them a tumult then a Corporation Aug. De verb. Domini Ser. 26. Da unum populus est tolle unum turba est Touching the last clause of this first Proposition That the same that offended the same is punished whereby our sins seem to be charged upon Christ as if Christ himself had committed sin in whom we are assured no sin was either original or actual as is fully declared in my third Book Chap. 11. Sect. 2. Yet that this is true I am to shew in the explication of
the second Proposition which is this The sins of the Elect Members of Christ are 2. Proposition not to be accounted onoly the sins of the Elect but are justly charged on the score of Jesus Christ being their Surety and Redeemer To charge Christ with sin may seem very harsh and some Divines in high reverence of his most holy and innocent Person are afraid to affirm that Christ suffered for his own sins But when the Spirit of God hath said that 2 Cor. 5. 21. He was made sin who knew no sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manifest that both these sayings are true First 1 Joh. 3. 5. In Christ is no sin Secondly Christ was made sin Bishop Andrewes who knew what he wrote and said as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubted not to affirm that Bish And. de â—at Serm. 9. The 〈◊〉 was with us not onely in nature as 〈…〉 in sin also factus peccatum pro nobis And this not onely he but others also both ancient and later Doctors have assered for besides what I shewed out of St. Bernard before Gregory Nazianzen saith Naz. Orat. 36. Quamdiù ego inobediens sum Christus per me inobediens est after him St. Austin saith Aug. in Psal 37. Christus peccaeta nostra sua vocat propter corpus â—â—um and Luther also perceived the great consequences of this union when he said Lutheri Epist Tu Domine Jesu es justitia mea Ego sum peccatum tuum for if but one member of the body commit an offence the whole man is chargeable with it This truth is of great concernment to be known for if Christ cannot be truly charged with sin how can we possibly justifie the proceedings of the Godhead when it is said Prov. 17. 15. He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just both are abominable to the Lord So then Christ must be charged with sin and man must be discharged of sin or else neither Christ can justly suffer punishment nor can man with Justice be saved The neglect or ignorance of this weighty truth occasioned the Socinian party to exclaim against us as if we charged God with tyranny in laying the punishment due to us offenders upon our innocent Saviour which also drew from Brentius a Lutheran this blasphemy Deus Brent Exeges in Joh. 19. Pater in cruce Tyrannum egit erga Filium and in the margin this note is set Deus aliquando Tyrannus an assertion false and blasphemous The difficulty of this doctrine consisteth in two Points 1. How Christ can be justly charged with sin in whom all Christians confesse there was no sin 2. How man can justly be acquitted of sin who without doubt never lived one minute without sin The truth of both the Christian Reader may thus apprehend In Christ there is a double capacity or twofold consideration First as he is in himself a natural body a private man or particular person without any relation to us and so no actions of his concern us or ours him Secondly as he is a part of a corporation Political or body mystical before mentioned for the head is but a part of the body in this consideration his and our actions concern us joyntly for if the hand be wounded the head will say You hurt me so we read 1 Cor. 12. 26. If one member suffer all the members suffer with it if one member be honoured all the members rejoyce with it now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular If one member of a Corporation do an injury in the name of the whole the whole or any one of them shall be liable to answer for it If a corporation be indebted any one member paying the debt satisfieth for the whole and for every particular member Posthumius a Roman Consul professing himself to be a Citizen of the Samnites and intending to pick a quarrel with that Common-Wealth openly in the assembly of the Samnites kickt the Roman Herald and said Livi. Decad. 1. lib. 9. I being a member of the Common-wealth of the Samnites have done publick injury to the Roman fecial therefore the Romans may justly make war upon the Samnites Just so particular members of this mystical body have done injuries to God and are become debtors so that the whole body is subject to penalty but the whole debt and injury is laid upon and discharged by one even Christ the Head in the name and behoof of the whole body These things being premised let us next consider what extent and operation this Union Conjunction or Communion of Christ and his Members hath and what effects it produceth Which may appear by the Communion of the Primitive Christians twice mentioned in the Acts where it is said Act. 2. 44. and 4. 32. They that believed had all things common And they were of one heart and one soul neither said any of them that ought was his own but they had all things common So this Union or Communion of Christ and his Members doth produce that which Divines call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. a mutual communication of properties which worketh and extendeth it self so far that the perfections and excellencies which are originally proper and peculiar to the individual Person of Jesus Christ are communicated and truly affirmed of holy men So likewise the infirmities yea and the sins also of such men who are members of Christ are communicated to and affirmed of and imputed and ascribed to Christ as may be perceived by these instances following First That Christs proper perfections are communicated to sinful man The Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 1. 30. Christ is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification which is as much as to say the wisdome the righteousnesse and sanctity which originally is onely in Christ and not in us yet it becomes our wisdome righteousnesse and holinesse because we are One with him The same Apostle tells us again that 2 Cor. 5. 21. We are made the righteousnesse of God in him So that man is righteous onely because Christ is so with whom man is united in one body Thus every true member of Christ is called 1 Pet. 2. 9. Rev. 1. 6. a King and a Priest this is onely because Christ is both and because his members are one with him therefore they are so denominated by his perfections Upon this ground it is that St. Hierome calleth Baptisme Hier. ad Damas Epist 58. cont Luciferian Sacerdotium Laicum i. a Lay-mans Priesthood because baptisme is the Sacrament of our entrance and ingrafting into Christ and so of our union with him which union doth work a communication of his regality and Priesthood to us So Origen saith Orig. in Levit cap. 16. hom 9. Sacerdotium tibi toti populo credentium datum est and so Austin Aug. de Civit. l. 20. c. 10. also Omnes Christiani sunt sacerdotes quia membra unius Sacerdotis Secondly That our actions and passions our infirmities yea and our sins also are communicated to Christ and
open Market-place cured diseases raised spirits presented to their view Magical banquets and seemed to release those that were possessed by devils therefore Celsus said that Jesus performed his miracles by art Orig. Cont. Cels lib. 1. n. 32. magick I say seemed onely for we learn from our Saviour that one devil is not cast out by another and Satan is not divided against himself and although when ignorant people imploy one Witch to help them against another some present ease may seem to be procured yet indeed as Austin observeth Non exit Aug. l. 83. quaest qu. 79 n. 88. Satanas per infimas potestates sed in intima regreditur regnat in voluntale corpori parcens i. Satan is not dispossessed by any infernal power but retireth himself into the more inward parts of the possessed and though he spare the body yet he â—yrannizeth more in the soul and maketh his possession stronger Because this is a dangerous apostasie to seek to or to attribute the work of God to him therefore Christ used divers arguments against it and so did the Ancient Fathers Origen Athan. Euseb Austin and others which having but touched I omit to avoid digressions The greatest difficulty in this question is what our Saviour meant by the words holy Spirit or holy Ghost when he said The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven for the understanding whereof I will lay down a few Considerations to the Reader that from them he may gather the true meaning of that hard saying First That in Christ there are two natures 1. His Godhead or Divine nature by which he is called God over all blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5. 2. His humane nature or manhood made of the seed of David according to the flesh Rom. 1. 3. The first of these is called Forma Dei the second is called forma Servi both are Philip. 2. 6 7. mentioned Philip. 2. 6. Who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal to God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant Secondly Consider that there are two spirits in Christ 1. His soul or humane spirit of which he saith Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Luk. 23. 46. Secondly his Divine Spirit of which it is said If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is noni of his Rom. 8. 9. Thirdly that according to his two natures there are two filiations in Christ for 1. He is called the Son of man the son of David 2. He is called the Son of God Fourthly That according to those two natures two spirits and two sonships the Scripture mentioneth two kinds of blasphemies against Christ thâ— one against him as he is the Son of man and this is pardonable Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him Matth. 12. 32. The other unpardonable But Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost â—t shall not be forgiven him Ibid. Fifthly That the appellation Holy Spirit in Scripture is taken two wayes 1. Pro deitate essentiae omnium personarum Paâ—ris Filii Spiritûs i. For the Godhead or divinity of all the Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost because all are one God as Matth. 12. 28. John 4. 24. 2. It is taken Personaliter i. properly for the third Person alone as Baptizing them in the Nâ—me of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Matth. 28. 19. and this distinction is acknowledged by divers late Divines of the Reformed Churches a Polan l. 3. c 6 Polanus b Bucan l. 3. p â—â— Bucan c Tilen p. 141. Tilenus and d Melan. in loc Com. de Spirit Ph. Melanthon From these plain and confessed Considerations I extract these two Propositions 1. That it is no inconvenience to affirm That those words hoâ—y Spirit or Holy Ghost in that place do signifie the Godhead of the second Person Jesus Christ 2. That to deny the Godhead of Jesus Christ is that blasphemy which in the Gospel is said to be unpardonable And this is my Conclusion which hereafter I hope I shall evidently demonstrate to the Readers satisfaction CHAP. III. That the Godhead of the Son is called Spirit and holy Spirit that the words Ghost and Spirit are of the same signification LEt it not seem strange that the appellation of one person is given to another for as in this place the Godhead of the Son is called the holy Spirit so in another place the Godhead of the Son is called the Everlasting Father Esa 9. 6. For unto us a child is born his Name shall be called wonderfull counsâ—llour the mighty God the everlasting Fâ—ther In that he saith a child is born it must needs be meant of the Son of God and the Son is called the everlasting Father because he is God for the Godhead of every person being but one in all is may be called the everlasting Father and so the holy Ghost is the everlasting Father also because the holy Ghost is God and yet this doth not confound the three persons or their severall and distinct prâ—prieties and personalities for albeit every Person is the everlasting Father in respect of men and of creatures because all concurred in the creation yet onely the first Person hath this Personall proprietie to be the Father of the sâ—cond Person and so the Father of God as the Son is the Father respectu Creaturarum i. in respect of the creatures so the first Person is Father of God and of Man as that in the Poet if it were in the singular number might illustrate Hominum sator atque deorum a Virg. Aene. l. 1. so God the Father is the Father of God the Son that is the Father of the Person of the Son but not the Father of the Godhead of the Son b Pater Personae non essentiae Pater Filii non deitatis We in our Creed confess the Son to be God of God that is God the Son of God the Father but we do not say Deitas de deitate Godhead of Godhead Neither could the Son of God call God the Father his Lord and his God but onely because the Person of the Son assumed the humane nature and form of a servant as St. Augustino hath observed upon that saying Ps 22. 10 Thou art my God from my mothers belly c Pater est Deus Dominus Filio quia in eo est forma servi De ventre matris Deus meus es tu Ps 22. 10. Sed antâ— omnia secula Pater est i. The Father is the Lord and God of the Son because the Son assumed the form af a servant therefore it is said in the Psalme Thou art my God from my mothers belly but the Father may be said to be his Father from eternitie As every Person is called a Father so as is said so also every Person is called Holy because the Godhead is holy
as this Câ—rinâ—hus meant and Jesus he manhood or humane nature So his doctrine was hat Jesus when he suffered was but a meere câ—eature ust as our Commenter teacheth and this in â—ffect is all one with the Heresie of the Manichtes who although they did not deny Christ to be God as the Commenter doth yet they would not believe that the Emmanuel or incarnate God was crucified but another in his stead and that a creature too Whereupon St. Austin Aug. de fide cont Man to 6. c. 33. saith to them Miseri non timetis ne dicatur vobis in judicio ego cos liberavi pro quibus pessus sum ite ille vos liberet cui meas ascribitis passiones i. Are ye not afraid ye wretched men that Christ in judgement will say to you Depart from me and go to that meer creature to whom you ascribe my passion for I redeemed those onely for whom I suffered Now if Christs passion on earth did not redeem us to whom shall we go for redemption seeing he redeemed onely those for whom he suffered I wish our Commenter would consider another speech of this renowned Father who whilest he continued in the said Manichean Heresie and then living at Rome he fell into a dangerous sickness and was very near death and because at that time he did not rightly believe the passiou of Christ but erred therein and yet no more phantastically or dangerously then this Commenter doth he said of himself Ibam ad inferos portans omnia mala quae commiseram nam Christus pro eis non solverat cum crediderim crucem ejus phantasticam i. 1 Aug. Confes l. 5. c. 9. was going to hell with the burthen of all my sins lying on my soul for Christ had not satisfied for me because I believed not in the truth of his passion Now he that believeth that Christ is but a meer man and that his death was onely as a witness or Martyr to seal a Truth with his blood and not at all for mans redemption shall be so far from receiving the blessing of Redemption by him that he shall moreover bring and accumulate a curse upon himself For so the ancient Martyr Ignatius understandeth these words Ier. 17. 5. Ig. Epist ad Antioch n. 46. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm that is Maledictus est qui dicit Christum nudum hominem juxta Prophetam i. According to those words of the Prophet he is accursed who calleth Christ a meer man and yet trusteth in him And Athanasius doubted Atha orat 1. Cont. Arian 3. 4. not to say that the Arians who called Christ a creature and yet did perform religious worship to him as this Commenter requireth were within the compass of the Heathens sin in that they worshipped him whom they thought to be but a creature and therefore he Ath. ad solit vit agentes n. 18. Soc. l. 3. c. 19. calls them Porphyrianos because Porphyrie once had been a professed Christian and had revolted to heathenism as Socrates saith Thus the Reader may perceive that this blasphemous denying Christs Divinity doth dissolve our Religion into Heathenisme and Antichristianisme I have heard from the mouth of an ancient and most learned Doctour that Socinus the Father of our late society of Socinians was the son of such Parents whereof one was by Religion a Turk and the other a Christian and that therefore Socinus laboured to bring Turcisme and Christianisme to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in Religion by denying the Eternall Godhead of Christ as Turks also do which grand impiety is so destructive to Christian Religion that it may be fitly called the Devils master-piece and so the ancient Fathers esteemed it Epiphanius called Arius Epiph. haer 69. statuam Diaboli i. An Idoll set up by the Devill and St. Hilary said of it Mihi diabolus erit qui Arianus Hil. Cont. Aux n. 7. i. He that Arianizeth is no better then Satan and Athanasius called it Haeresin totum Diabolum induentem Ath. ad sol vit agentes n. 19. i. An heresie indued with the whole plenitude of Satan For the Devils cannot be saved and such blasphemers as these shall never be forgiven It was the opinion of Theodoret that the grand Antichrist Theod. haer fab l. 5. n. 17. of all shall be the Devill shewing himself in the shape of a man and taking upon him the name of Christ now as Christ is but one and yet hath many members even his whole Church which is called his mysticall body so the grand Antichrist it may be is but one person but shall have and it may be he hath already great multitudes of members acted and indued with his malignant spirit which make up his mysticall Aug. de gen ad lit l. 11. c. 24. n. 68. Aug. de doct Ch. l. 3. c. 37. n. 56. corporations which is the Mystery of iniquity And this was the opinion of St. Austine and by him divers times expressed thus Diaboli corpus sunt impii ipse est corum caput ficut Christus est caput ecclesia i. the wicked are the body of Satan Satan is the head of them as Christ is the head of his Church And again De Gen. l. 11. c. 24. Corpus Diaboli est imptorum multitudo i. The body of the Devill is a multitude setting themselves to work impiety and again speaking of those words 2 Thes 2 4. sitting in the Temple of God he saith Aliqui intelligunt De Civit. l. 20. c. 19. hic non ipsum principem sed multitudinem hominum cum ipso doâ—c fiat magnus populus Antichristi i. Some do not here understand onely the great Antichrist of all but also a great multitude of people with him untill at length Antichrist become as a populous nation and Prosper saith moreover Antichristus Prosp de promis n. 14. praecâ—nes mendacii sui habiturus est i. Antichrist shall have preachers to set forth his lies who will edifie his great body for destruction such as Hil. de Trinit lib. 2. p. 25. n. 1. also St. Hilary calls Novi apostolatus sub Antichristo Praedicatores i. Preachers of a new calling under Antichrist Now if amongst other Hereticks also may be admitted to be members of the body of Antichrist surely none will be more advantagious to him then those who blaspheme Christ in his highest title by denying Iren. l. 5. c. ult n. 124. his Godhead Irenaeus and after him divers old Writers conceived that the grand Antichrist will appear out of the Tribe of Dan because of that saying in Ieremy 8. 16. The sâ—orâ—ing of his horses was heard from Dan and for this reason 〈◊〉 thought that amongst the Tribes of Israel which are sealed Rev 7. the Tribe of Dan is not mentioned to intimate that no limbs of Antichrist shall be sealed to salvation CHAP. VIII Of the hypostaticall union
Aug. de Trin. l. 1. c. 8. n. 60. I answer with St. Austin Tradere regnum est eredentes perducere ad contemplationem Dei to deliver up the kingdom is to bring his Saints to the vision and fruition of God to present them pure unspotted free and fully delivered from the bonds and the ruling power of sin and of death which before had some power over them and God ruled in them but in part so that the dominion of the flesh had also a share in them but at the last judgment they shall be given up free from those intanglements as it is there said that then Christ shall put down all rule and authority and power ver 24. So that nothing shall have rule over them but God and he alone that God may be all in all ver 28. So that this delivering up is but so as Saint Paul desired 2. Cor. 11. 2. to present them to Christ as chaft Virgins and as a Philosopher said to his disciple reddam te tibi meliorem So Christ shall deliver Seneca de Benef l. 1. c. 8. us up to the Father in better condition then he found us for although God by his Omnipotency ruled over us before yet it was but as a King over stubborn and rebellious subjects but then the same God shall reign over the same subjects amended and wholly and willingly and joyfully submitting themselves to his divine will Secondly where it is said Christ shall reign till he â— hath put all his enemies under his feet This doth not signifie that Christ shall reign no longer but that the Kingdom of Christ shall indure untill then in despite of all the opposition of heresies Persecutors and Tyrants or of the world and the flesh and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it So that Christ shall reign till then as a King whose people are perpetually opposing resisting and rebelling against him but yet the King still holdeth his kingdome so albeit in the Kingdom of Christ and in his servants there is strife between the flesh and the spirit yet still the Spirit of Christ retaineth a kingly power in them for although the flesh lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. yet the Spirit helpeth our infirmities Rom. 8. 26. and God giveth us the victorie through our Lord Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 15. 57. Christ reigneth during this world as a Warrior as the Lord of Hosts but afterwards he shall reign as a true Melchisedec king of Salâ—m Prince of peace so that his kingdom doth not end with the world but shall be refined and reformed not by any change in our King but in his subjects and this is the meaning of this word till in the judgment of Expositors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not alwaies signifie an utter cesâ—ation b Orig. 39. Donec non est definiens tempus c Cyr. Hiero. 17. Donec non habet finem sed consequens quiddam d Thâ—oph in Mat. Donec non adimit posterius e Naz. 28. Donec sequens tempus non excludit i. this word until doth not so limit us to the time past but that it leaveth open all time to come as Matâ—h 28. 28. I am with you unto the end of the world doth not signifie that Christ shall be with them no longer and so also it is used Psal 112. 8. and in many other places Thirdly where it is said the Son himself shall be subject 3. the meaning is not that the Son of God shall cease to be a King and shall turn subject for we are assured that he shall reign over the house of Iacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall be no end Luk. 1. 33. Now what is it in Christ that is capable of subjection but only his humane nature for no man will say that his Godhead can be subjected and as for his naturall â— body or humane nature it ever was and is and for ever shall be subject to his Godhead for the humane nature is ever ruled by the divine nature Neither shall his humane nature ever be depressed depreciated or subjected lower then that preferment which was conferred on it by his Godhead therefore this subjection cannot be meant of his own naturall body but it is indeed meant of his body mysticall his Church his Saints and Elect which are called his members and his body Your bodies are the members of Christ 1. Cor. 6. 15. and the Church is his body Eph. 1. 23. Eph. 5. 30. this exposition as it is most true so was it also that which the Fathers gave of this hard place Athanasius saith f Atha Cont. Apol. n. 22. Cum omnes nos subjicimur tum ipse dicitur subject When all we are subjected to Christ then Christ is said to be suâ—ject and Saint Ambrose saith g Ambr. de Fid. l. 5. c. â— n. 24. Christus subjicietur in nobis nondum subjectus est Christus quia membra nondum subjâ—cta sunt pro nobis â—â—â—it subjectus non pro se et in nobis subjicietur Christ shall be subject but it is in us as yet Christ is not subject because his members are not yet subjected it is in regard of us that he must be subjected not in regard of himself for so long as hâ—s mystical body is not perfectly subjected to the divine will as is shewed before the whole Body of Christ cannot be said to be fully subject and his mysticall body which consists of men over-ruled by the power and rebellion of flesh and blood never was yet perfectly subjected to God nor ever will be wholly obedient to him untill after the resurrection they shall be thus delivered up to the Father perfectly Sanctified Aug. 83. quaest qu. 69. n. 87. and cleansed and thus doth Saint Austin also expound it Subjectus erit dicitur de Christo et de membris ejus Scil. ecclesiâ cujus est caput sic de universo Christo annumerato corpore membris ejus Omnes vos unum estis in Christo Gal 3. 28. Christus universus est caput cum membris This subjection is said of Christ and of his members the Church of which Christ is the head So there is an universall Christ signifying the head and all the members as we read Gal. 3. 28. Yâ— are all one in Christ By what hath been said I trust the Reader will understand that neither this Deification preferment or exaltation nor this Subjection which is said of Christ doth in the least measure derogate from his Eternall and Supream Godhead SECT II. More concerning the subjection of Christ THis speech of Saint Paul that The Son himself shall be subject would be more throughly examined being one of the grand Arguments used by Aâ—iuâ— and his Sect against the eternall Godhead of the Son Therefore I crave thy patience good Reader whilest I discourse unto thee two questions pertinent First how it can be said that The
God but now incarnate of whom Esay spake Rom. 14. 11. As it is written As I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me So that the saying of the Psalmist Psalm 97. 7. Worship him all ye gods is applied to Christ Heb. 1. 6. Let all the Angels of God worship him Neither doth the Scripture set forth this great truth onely by words but also by the visible type of the Iewish Tabernacle and Temple to teach the people of Israel where they should profitably seek and find that God whom they were appointed to worship and therefore God confined them to perform their worship of him at the Tabernacle or Temple lest they like other Nations should set up a God of their own invention or worship the host of Heaven seeing men naturally desire either a sensible object of their adoration or at least will fancie such an one in their brain The Israelites not yet weaned from idolatry before the Tabernacle was erected made a Calf or Oxe to worship just as they had seen the Aegyptians worship before the like figure in memory of Ioseph as Aug. de Mir. scrip l 1. n. 74. Ruff. 6. n. some thought who had preserved them by corn in the Famine because that beast doth usually work in Tillage and because in after-times the Jewes abhorred image-worship not admitting any such Statues in their Temple Therefore the Heathens thus usually twitted them Incerti Iudaea Dei And Iuvenal saith Lucan l. 2. Juv. sat 14. of them Quidam sortiti metuâ—ntem Sabbata Patrem Nil praeâ—er nubâ—s coeli numen adorant i. That either it was uncertain what God they worshipped or that they worshipped nothing but the Clouds or Heaven For the Heathens used to set up visible images before which they performed their adoration not intending to worship the Images terminativè or finally as our Commenters word is but they worshipped them just so as the Commenter saith Christ was worshipped For they terminated their worship in their gods whom they thought to be assistant and present in those images as Arnobius affirms from Arnob. l. 6. n. 115. the mouths of Heathens Nos nec aera nec auri argentive maâ—eâ—ias Deos esse decâ—â—nimus sed cos in hiâ— colimus quos dedicatio infert efficit inhaebitare simuâ—a hris i. We Heathens do not worship the brass or silver or gold image but we worship those gods which by Dedication-Charmes are invited and brought to inhabit the Images So Saint Augustine alleadgeth Aug. de Civ l. 8. c. 23. Trismegistus affirming that Images were as the bodies of their gods and that the spirit was by Art Magick invited to reside in them Simulachrum Id. ib. c. 26. pro corpore Daemon pro anima est i. The image was the body and a Spirit was the soul within it For so indeed Heathens used to do when they had made an image to represent their god they made a Ceremonious Vide Macrob. Satur. l. 3. c. 9. de evocatione Deorum Dedication of it to that god and so inviting him by Charms and Magicall Conjurations to shew himself to be present in that image as Conjurers they say have had the evill Spirit in a ring or boxe And this is diverse times affirmed by Origen the manner whereof is partly touched in the Story of the Dedication of Nebuchadnezzars image For the Devill apishly imitating God indeavoured to set up his own worship in such a manner as God hath appointed for himself For Psalm 96. 5. Dii Gentium Daemonia i. The gods of the Gentiles are Devils Therefore as God manifested his presence in the Tabernacle and Temple where the Israelites were required to worship God so the Devill manifested his presence in Idols and Idoll-Temples that so he also might be there worshipped and this appeareth by what we reade of Heathen Oracles and the Images of Iuno and Fortune which uttered words as Lactantiüs sheweth out of Valerius Lact de falf Relig. lib. 2. n. 6. CHAP. XIII The Godhead of Christ further proved from the typicall Tabernacle and Temple IT will not be impertinent to this business in hand to inquire why God confined the Jewish worship to the Tabernacle and Temple as it is manifest he did for Levit. 17. 3 4. the Israelites are required upon pain of death to bring their sacrifices to the doore of the Tabernacle So the publick Passeover is to be sacrificed onely in the place which the Lord shall chuse Deut. 12. 5. and what place that is we finde set down 2 Sam. 7. 13. The house that Solomon the sonne of David shall build and this building was performed by him 1 King 8. 20. and God declared his acceptation of that House or Temple 2 Chron. 7. 12. The Lord appeared to Solomon and said unto him I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place to my self for an house of sacrifice Now the reason why the Israelites were confined to perform their worship in this place was because God would keep them in a perpetuall memory and confession of the Messiah to be incarnate of whole incarnation both the Tabernacle and the Temple were but Figures or Types Templum erat figura Corporis Dominici Aug. de Trin. l. 4. c. 5. saith Augustine i. The Temple was the Figure of our Lords Body for as God did manifestly shew his presence in the Tabernacle and Temple by a cloud and the Glory of the Lord filled both as we reade Exodus 40. 34. and 1 Kings 8. 10. So did he in the Body of Christ by his great Miracles Deus erat in Aug. de Consens Evang. n. 86. Templo Vâ—rbum caro factum i. When the Word was made flesh God was there as n his Temple So that the prudent and religious sort of Israeites in the Typicall Tabernacle and Temple did indeed worship their god who as yet was but Typically incarnate for the Tabernacle did represent an humane body Philo and Josephus both of them Jewes by birth and religion called the Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jos Ant l. 3. c. 4. Phil. de vit Mosis l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. A moveable and a portable Temple as a mans body is the covering of it was with skins as mens bodies are covered Exodus 26. 14. and with Curtains as mens bodies are with Garments and it represented the Body of Christ Ath. Orat. 5. cont Ar. n. 4. Corpus Domini ist Amiculum saith Athanasius i. The Body of our Lord was the Garment of God And the two great Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul in allusion hereunto call their own bodies Tabernacles 2 Cor. 5. 1. and 2 Peter 1. 14. Hence it is no doubt that so often mention is made of worshipping towards the Temple of Jerusalem Psalme 5. 7. and 138. 2. I will worship toward thy holy Temple and Psalme 29. 2. Worship the Lord in the beautie of Holynesse that is in his glorious
Sanctuary and King Solomen prayeth Hearken to the supplication of thy people Israel when they shall pray toward this place 1 Kings 8. 30. And Daniel prayeth with his windows open toward Jerusalem where the Typicall Temple hâ—d been and where the true Antitypicall Temple of Christs body was to be manifested So in effect the Object of the Israelaticall worship was God present in his Temple thereby feeding their faith in the promised Messiah who was afterwards to reside in his Tabernacle of the humane nature So that the ultimate Object of their adoration was the Sonne of God God incarnate even the same God whom we Christians now worship The Christian Religion was before the Jewish in time and the Church is older then the Temple or Synagogue Amb. de sacram l 1. c. 4. Aug. Ret. l. 1. c. 13. Priora sunt Sacramenta Christianorum quam tudaeorum For the adoration of the Sonne of God did not first begin when he was incarnate but as Saint Augustine truely saith Christian Religion was in former times but it began to be called Christian in latter times when the Son of God took our flesh and again Aug. confes l. 10. c. 43. he saith The ancient Saints were saved by Faith in Christ to be crucified as we now are by Faith in Christ crucified Christ was the same God before his incarnation that he is now and was worshipped by the holy Patriaâ—chs and Prophets before he was incarnate as truely as he is by us Christians since Before Abraham was I am Iohn 8. 58. and Abraham rejoyced to see my day and saw it and was glad It is therefore a vain and false cavill of this Commenter who tell us Faith in Christ is nor contained in all Faith 1 Pag. 251. c. 11. v. 6. in God because in the description of the Faith which was in the ancient Elders Hebrewes 11. there is no mention of Faith in Christ Indeed there is no mention of the word Christ but the Sonne of God was believed in by those Patriarchs before the same Sonne of God could be called Christ for in their dayes the Sonne of God was not yet Christ for he was not anointed nor could he be capable of anointing before he was incarnate as is shewed before The Sonne of God was God from everlasting but this God was not Christ as yet because he was not anointed otherwise then in the purpose and Decree of the same God and typically in the annointing of the Tabernacle Exodus 30 26 27. and in the unction of Kings Priests and Prophets But faith in God must needs signifie faith in the Sonne of God who is now the Christ because there is no other God but he for the Father and the Son are the self same One and onely God Now if it be demanded why the holy Israelites worshipped toward the Tabernacle or Temple as if God were there onely seeing it cannot be denied that God was then every where Filling Heaven and Eâ—â—th Ieremy 23. 24 I answer in the words of Fulgentius When God Fulgen. ad Thras l. 2. n. 9. is said to be in a place or to descend and come to it it is not to be thought that God changeth place so as to leave one place and to goe to another but Significat manifestationâ—m ejus i. It signifieth that God doth then manifest his presence in that place wherein he was before but did not shew and declare his presence so as when he is said to descend So S. Chrysost me expoundeth the Mission of the Sonne Missio Filiâ— qui ubiqu erat â—nâ—eà corpoream apparâ—ntiam Chrys ser de Pastor n 58. significat non migâ—at à loco in locum i. When the Sonne of God is said to be sent who was every where before it signifieth his Corporeall appearing and not a change of place And because the Godhead did manifest its presence in the Tabernacle and Temple therefore the Israelites did there and toward that place perform their worship yet we finde that sometimes sacrifices were offered to the Lord in other places as by Gideon Iudges 6. 26. but it was by expresse command of God So did Elias also 1 Kings 18. 36. but it was not in Judaea but in Israel amongst Idolaters yet with some conformity with the Temple as is there mentioned Eliâ—s offered at the time of the Evening Sacrifice which was the Figure of Christs death to be at the ninth houre and this also not without an instinct of Gods Spirit for he was a Prophet CHAP. XIV That the Christian when he prayeth setteth his minde on God in Christ as the finall Object of his Prayer as the Jewes prayed to God then residing in the Tabernacle or Temple because the now glorified Body of Jesus is the Temple wherein the Godhead will for ever dwell AS the Israelites prayed to God whom they conceived to be present in the Tabernacle or Temple so the Christian when he prayeth setteth his minde on Jesus Christ conceiving him to be the Object of his Prayer for he believeth and considereth him to be the Temple wherein his God is for ever resident and in that Temple he seeketh his God where his mercy hath been manifested and wherein the great work of Mans Redemption hath been acted and performed and so looketh on his God through Christ The rubricks of the ancient Church Lituâ—gies as we finde in severall ages of the Church directed men to pray thus Sacerdos ante Oâ—ationem dicit Sursum Cyp. 82. Cyril 23. Prosp 3. corda i. Before Prayer the Priest said to the People Lift up your hearts on high and so they confessed they lifted them up unto the Lord that is to Christ in Heaven sitting on the right hand of the Father for where the carcase is there will the Eagles be gathered Matthew 24. 28. In prayer we lift up our eyes to Heaven because our God is in Heaven Psalmâ— 115. 3. And we say Our Father which art in Heaven as himself taught us to whom we must pray because as his Godhead is and was alwayes there so his glorious Body was to be in Heaven and is and for ever shall be the Temple wherein the Godhead is to be sought to and found For in Christ dwelleth all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily Colossiâ—ns 2. 9. He saith bodily in comparison of Types and Figures the Tabernacle was but the shadow of Gods residence but the Body of Christ was the Substance and Truth of that shadow The inhabitation of the Godhead of Christ in his Body is described by Saint John most significantly to this purpose John 1. 14. The Word dwelt amongst us where dwelling is expressed by the tearme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. God was intabernacled which signifieth that his Body was the Tabernacle of the Godhead as Theodoret Theod. Dial Imm. n. 12. observes The Leviticall Law is still in force though not literally yet in the spirit or meaning of it for we must
the Holy Ghost can be seene becase the Godhead of every and all Persons is one and alike invisible for God is a spirit and a spirit cannot be seene and therfor S. Austin upon those words Tim. 1. 17. The invisible God saith hic ipsa triâ—itâ—s intellâ—giâ—ur non solus Aug. de Trin. l. 2. c. 8. Aug. Epist 112. Aug. Epist 111. Tert. cont Prax. Pater i. The whole trinitie is invisible and not only the Father and again he saith The whol trinitie is of a nature invisible and again he saith out of Ambros. and Hierome Neither the Father nor the Son can be seen in their divine nature For so noe Eye can see them and therfore Tertullian thus expounds it videbatur Deus a Patriarchis secundum capacitatem hominis non pro plenitudine Majestatis i. Patriarks saw God not in the plenitude of his Majestie but according to the capacitie of man and to this both Ahanasius and Atha ad Antio n. 28. Chrys. ho. 48. Antio n. 17. Chrisostome agree Nemo essentiam invisibilis i. The essence of God is to all mortalls invisible The divine nature and pure Godhead is that which the Scripture somtimes calls the face of God of which God said to Mooses Thou canst not see my face and live so Theodoret expounds those words divina natura Theod Dialog immutat Atha quest ad Antioch n. 28. Aug. de Trin. l. 2. sub aspectum non cadit i. the divine nature can not be seen so doth Athanasius 1. Anteriora dei significant divinitatâ—m i. the foreparts of God signifie the Godhead and so S. Austin often tels us that the face of God signifies the form of God and the afterparts signifie the form of a servant which is the humane nature But then how doth the Scripture say the Lord spake unto Moses face to face and how could Jacob say I have seene God face to face if the pure Godhead can not be seene And how could Moses tell the Israelites Deut. 5. 4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount and yet before he had said Deut 4. 15. yee saw no similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb I answer that as in one place of those Scriptures alleaged the face of God signifies his divinitie or Godhead which can not be seen so in the other place it signifieth Gods presence manifested by words or signes wherby God declare th himself present as on mount Horeb by fier and thunder and in the tabernacle by a cloud or by a sound and words so Gods face or presence may be where there is no sight of him and so he spake to the people face to face because they knew for certaine that God was there present But Iacob saw the face of God because he saw the face of that man or that shape which wrastled with him when God appeared to him in the forme of a man although Iacob could not see the pure Godhead and this kind of appearing in an assumed shape is called by Dionysius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. The appearing of God from hence the Dion Areop Caelest Hier. c. 4. Eus de Dem. l. 5. c l. 14. aforementioned Ensebius argued that because Iacob saw the face of that man which appeared to him in which man was God therfore he said it was the person of the Son and not the Person of the Father because Eusebius was persuaded that the Person of the Father did never shew himself in a visible shape â—nd for this Eusebius had very great and weighty reasons of which more hereafter CHAP. IV. More concerning the first question how God hath bin and may be seen FOr the further explanation of this question it would be inquired how it is said that God is visible and hath bin seene and this will be understood by considering how other Spirits become visible which in their owne Spiritual nature are as invisible as the divine nature is for because a spirit hath nothing in it self which can be an object for mortal Eyes therfore whensoever Spirits or Angels good or bad are seen of men it must be by assuming some shape or body and mingling themselves with it that so they may become a fit visible object because only such things are visible for ever so many invisibles whether they be good or bad spirits Angels or devils cannot make one visible Object and therfore when we read in Scripture that God appeared in an Angel it is not so to be understood as if the invisible God became visible by taking uppon him the invisible nature of an Angel for an Angelâ—â—al nature is of it self as invisible as the divine nature as is said because both are Spirits but when God is seen in an Angel the Angel meant is the corpoâ—â—al visible shape which God assumeth and imployeth and useth for that purpose to be seen and to converse with man by for the word Angel doth not alwayes signifie a spiritual nature but any officer imployed by God as a Messenger so S. Iohn the Bapâ—ist is called Gods Angel Mat. 11. 10. in the Original So that the visible creature which is used as a Medium to present God visible is and may very fitly be called the Angel of God As Moses therfore put a Veile over his shining face which otherwise the people could not behold and as the Sun by our weak Eyes is better seen through the veil of a thâ—n mist then in its Cleer brightnes so in this life God is visible Only as in a glosse â—arkly 1 Cor. 13. 12. his divine nature in his glorious brightneâ— is invisible but the Invisible things of God are seen by things that are made Rom. 1. 20. The divinitie can â—ot be sâ—â—e except it be clothed and allayed with some moâ—e grosse and Material veil and therfore at what time God shewed himself visibly to men he took some corpâ—real Creature and shape unto him that so he who by nature is invisible might in that assumed habit be seen and this was the resolution of the Fathers a Filius Atha de uniâ— Tâ—in n 30. Hil de Trin. l. 5. visus est Patribus sed in 〈◊〉 Maâ—â— iâ— Filius vâ—sus est Patriarchis in specie hâ—minis i. The Son of God was seen by the Ancient 〈◊〉 but it was by assuming some Material and visible shape as â—â— a Man So S. Chrisostome saith The Prophets which saw Chrys ho. 10. Antâ—o Aug. de Civiv l. 5. c. 7. id Epist 11â— God had not otherwise the expresse sâ—ght oâ— him sed figuras viderund i they saw him in some assumed figure and S. Austin discoursing of Gods conveâ—sing with man in Paradise saith Deus locutus est cum pâ—imâ—s hominibus in aliqua specie corporali and againe Deus non est visâ—â— nisi assumptione creaturae i God talked with first parents in some bodily shape for God can not be seen but by assuming some Creature and
Generation from Adam but our better and spiritual regeneration is derived from Christ and as there are no Sons of Men but such as are so from Adam so ther are no Sons of God but those that are so from Christ Now if it be demanded how Christ and wee can be accounted one and what it is which came from Christ and is in man that so he may be said to be in us and so that what he did or suffered should be really accounted as done or suffered by us for although wee know why Adam's sin is imputed to us viz. because wee are of the same Lump propagated carnallie from him but yet why Christs righteousnes oâ— his sufferings should be imputed to us seeing wee are not propagated from Christ nor ever were in his loines as wee were in Adams is now the question To which this is the arswer that as Christ received his flesh and blood from man so man hath received the divine Spirit from Christ and as the natural bodie of Christ is made of the same lump of Adam that our's is so man hath in him the self same spirit that is in Christ though he be in heaven and wee on earth by which spirit wee are called the Sons of God just as Christ by taking our flesh is called the Son of Man Nos homines vocamur filii dei quia filius dei Atha in decret Nic. Conc n. 13. nostrum gestavit corpus quia Spiritus filii in nobis est i Men are called the Son of God because the Sons of God took his bodie of man and put his owne Spirit into man and therfore Christ doth fitly sustaine an Universal person of mankind That the Spirit of Christ is given and put into man the Scriptures doe manifestlie declare First it appeareth evidently in the regenerate Man of sueh S. Paul speaketh when he prayeth Ephe. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in their harts And how Christ may be sayd to dwell in Man Saint John sheweth 1 John 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell â—in him and â—e in us because he hath given us of his Spirit and hence it is that Saint Chrysostome saith Anima sancta est Tabernaculum Chrys ho 2. Antioch Christi id est The soul of an holy Man is Christs Tabernacle For indeed though Christ had not at all assumed flesh from Man yet because the same Spirit which is in Christ is also so put into and communicated to man it is sufficient to make Christ the head of the Saints his Members to be but one mysticall Body with him And this is intimated by Saint Paul when he saith Ephesians 4. 4. There is one body and one Spiriâ— which is as much as if he should say though the Saints on earth are many yet because all are endued with one and the same Spirit of Christ therefore all are but one body with Christ even as in man there are many parts and members yet because all parts have the same soul in them therefore all together are but one body Hence it is that Origen saith Omnes salvandi sunt Orig. in Eze. ho. 9. unum Corpus id est All those which shall be saved are but one body and Saint â—asill giveth this reason of their vnitie Quia unus est Deus si in singulis Bas Epist 141. sit omnes coadunat id est Because there is but one God if this one God be in all he doth thereby Tert. de Trin. n. 28 Christus est ecclesia De Paenit n. 16 unite all and this unitie is also expressed by these odd words in Tertullian Spi itus nos Christo confibulat id est It is the Spirit that doth button us or joyn us to Christ For this reason the Scripture saith Romans 12. 5. We being many are one body in Christ And again 1 Corinthians 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit And again Galathians 3. 28. Ye are all one in Christ Jesus yea such is our conjunction and union with Christ and his with us by reason that his Spirit is in us that Theodoret doubted not to say Si pati possit Theod. in Dâ—alog impatib n. 13. divina natura supervacanea fuisset corporis assumptio id est If the pure Godhead were of a nature passible so that it could have suffered for man God should not have needed to be Incarnate And Saint Augustine puts the case a little plainer and nearer thus Si Christus non assumpta carne à Virgine sed vera tamen apparens nos vera morte redimeret quis eum non potuisse audet dicere Suppose Christ had not taken his flesh from the Virgine and so not from Adam but yet had really taken a body upon him some other way and in that assumed body had really died to redeem man who dares say that he could not and no doubt such a suffering had been sufficient for our redemption if as I said before God had not otherwise determined and limited himself by his sentence of the curse and death upon the seed of Adam And thus we have seen how Christ and the Saints are united and become one body SECT II. More of the same That Jesus Christ was a Person every way fitly qualified to be Man's Redeemer both for that he was free from all sin Originall and Actuall although he took flesh from the loynes of Adam and also in regard of the infinite worth and excellencie of his Person THe qualities required to a redeeming high Priest are set down Heb. 7. 26. For such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 undefiled seperate from sinners For if Christ were not absolutely without sin in his own Person he could not be a fit sacrifice for our sins the Lamb of God must be answerable to the paschall Lamb his Type A Lambe without blemish and so the Scripture describeth Christ 1 Pet. 1. 19. as a Lambe without blemish or spot and that he knew no sin that he did no sin and that in him 1 John 3. 5. is no sin As for any actuall sinne there will be no question among Christians but the difficulty is in shewing Christ to be without Origâ—â—â—l◠〈◊〉 because he was in the loins of Adam when he fell and is the Son of David of Abraham and of Adam and the Church hath ever acknowledged that the whole lump of Adam is a Prosper Resp ad Genu. Massa corruptionis as Prosper saith and b Aug. Epist 105 157. De Civit. l. 15. c. 1. alibi Massa damnationis Vâ—nculnm damnationis Apostatica radâ—x Massa originaliter tota damnata as S. Austin often confesseth in all these words and many more id est a corrupt lump a lump of damnation an Apostate root totally condemned from the the very Originall The Apostle also seemeth to lay this to the charge of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 21. He hath made him to
drunkards c. shall inherit the Kingdome of God yet we beleive that Noah Loâ— David and the penitent theif who had offended in these sins shal notwithstanding inherit the Kingdome of God the Apostle in the words immediately following doth cleerly unfold the meaning both of that and of al other Threatnings when he saith vers 11. And such as these were some of youâ— but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus so that in al threatnings we are ever to suppose that ther is at least this secret and reserved condition Except ye repent according to Gods declaration which is thus exprest 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins And hence is the rule of divines Omnes commâ—nationes dei sunt intelligendae sub conditione impaenitentiae i The threatnings of God are ever to be understood with the condition of impenitencie This is the judgment both of our modern divines Orig. in Num. 23. hom 6. also of the Ancients Origâ—n saith Ostenditur Deus quandoque dicere non facâ—reâ—ait ergo per Hieâ—miam loquar super gentem si convertetur gens illa 〈◊〉 c. i Because it appeareth that God saith he wil doe that which yet he doth not performe therfore he hath informed us by Jeremie what his meaning is when he saith â—f I speak against a nation if that nation be convered and repent I also wil repent and againe the same Father saith Deus cum possiâ—â—â—cens punire nunquam hoc facit Orig. in Hier. 1. hom 1. sed etiamsi condemnavâ—râ—tâ— dicit tamen quod sibi semper dicere proposiâ—um est ut liberentur a condemnatione per paenitentiam qui condemnati suerant per delictum ut in Ninivitis i God could punish without threatning but doth not and although he hath condemned yet he saith as indeed he ever purposeth that those against whom the sentence of condemnation is gone forth yet may be delivered by repentance St. Chrysostom hath the like observation upon those words Jona 3. 4. Chrys hom 5. Antioch Forty daies and Ninevy shall be destroyed This threatning did not fail saith he for God declareth Jer. 18 7. That when he speaketh against a Nation his meaning ever is that if that nation repent he also will repent of his indignation and yet the Truth of God is no way prejudiced although the judgment threatned be not so effected because it is alwaies meant conditionally yea it is ever more probable that because God so openly threatned secretly he did really not intend at all to execute that judgment which he so threatned and more yet That he therefore threatned because Chrys hom Antioch 53 he did not purpose it Chrysostom saith Deus Gehennam mmatus est quo Gehennam non inducat i God therefore threatneth hell that thereby he may not condemn Basil in Esa c. 13. Basil in Esa c. 5. to hell And Saint Basil saith Deus interminatur ut sic exoretur i God therefore threatneth that thereby he may provoke men to prayer that by it he may be pacified and again concerning the figtree Luc. 13. 6. he saith Exitat agricolam ut diligentius excolat est comminatio quae efficiat ut à peccato convertantur i. Soz. l. 7 c. 1â— the intent of the threatning was to incite the husbandman to take greater care of it so there is a threatning intended onely to provoke men to conversion It is observed by Sozomen of the most gentle and godly Emperour Theodosius that his Edicts penall did commonly threaten very severe and direfull punishment but that he did not execute them even as our most mercifull God when he seemeth most severe in his threatning yet he secretly reserveth an inlet of mercy to stay the execution if the offenders will repent and therefore the prudent Jewes would not condemn that man for a false prophet who had in the name of God threatned judgments although the judgments threatned were not so executed because they knew that the executing or suspending thereof depended on the penitencie or impenitencie of men Thus having in generall shewed that Gods threatnings are to be understood conditionally let us now examine this particular threatning against such as commit the sin against the holy Spirit of which it is said It shall not be forgiven CHAP. III. That the blasphemy against the holy Spirit is then onely unpardonable when it is accompanied with final impenitencie IT is worthy of our observation that Christ immediately Mat. 12. 31. before he denounced that the blasphemy of the spirit should not be forgiven he had said Mat. 12. 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Certainly if all sin be forgiven it must needs follow that the blasphemy of the Spirit shall be forgiven unto some and therefore it is not absolutely unpardonable All the difficulty will be to understand how all sins shall be pardoned and yet this sin shall not be pardoned Both sayings must needs be true because Truth hath spoken them Surely the meaning is That there is no sin so great that it can bring damnation Aslemb c. 15. page 27. upon those who truly repent All sins are pardonable to the penitent and therefore this blasphemy also is pardonable if it be repented but without repentance it shall never be forgiven in this world whilest men continue in this sin nor in the world to come if men dye in it But yet it must needs be confessed that there is a difference in the repentance which is required to the pardon of this grand sin and that repentance which is necessary to preceed the pardon of other inferior Vide infra Cap. sins for no actuall sin is to be thought pardonable without repentance in some measure of which difference I shall speak hereafter in its due place But for the present it is expedient to enquire whether this blasphemy be in any case pardonable I have shewed before what the Scripture saith of those that denied Christ as Peter did and those Jewes Acts 3. 14. although denying Christ seemeth to be that sin of which it is said Luke 12. 9. 10. it shall not be forgiven Therefore the next thing to be enquired is the judgment of the Church in the exposition of those words It shall never be forgiven Athanasius in his Ath. to 3. pag. 626. book de Communi essâ—ntia Patris Fâ—lii c. First laieth down this conclusion Nullum â—st peccatum irâ—â—â—â—ssibile apud Dâ—um in illis qui verè 〈…〉 â—gunt i No sin is unpardonable with God in them which truly repent and he maketh this observation on those words of Christ That he did not say that he who sâ— blasphemeth and repenteth but onely he that blasphemeth shall not be forgiven and that therefore the meaning is that he that so blasphemeth and continueth persevering impenitâ—ntly in
that sin shall never be forgiven for if this sin cannot at all be remitted by repentance in this life why was the Church so offended with Novatus for not admitting penitents to his Atha ib. pag. 624. Communion who in time of persecution for fear had denied Christ and yet if there be a possibility of remission after this life why is Origen so condemned for affirming that the punishment of the damned shall have an end Again he saith 〈◊〉 those who were ignorant of the Godhead of Jesus and so did not believe or confesse it shall not be pardoned what will become of his own Disciples Ausim dicere ne ipsos bâ—atos Discipulos Atha ibid pa. 265. perfectam sententiam de ejus Divinitate habiusse antequam Spiritus sanctus in die Penticostes eos visitasset i I dare bouldly affirm that the blessed Disciples of Christ had not a perfect opinion of their Lords Godhead untill the holy Spirit descended on them at the Feast of Penticost for we read Math. 28. 17. that after his resurrection some worshiped him but some doubted Heathens Turks Jewes and Arrians do unto this day blaspheme the whole Trinity and therefore do certainly blaspheme the Holy Spirit yet if any of these should be converted to the true faith and with a penitent confession and with teares should come to the Christian Church renouncing their blasphemies and desire admission thereinto and to be instructed and then baptized what Christian would be so hard-hearted as to deny them St. Austin goeth yet further Aug. in Exposit Epist ad Rom. n. 96. Si ex eo numero hominum quibus Dominus crimen peccati in Spiritum Sanctum objecit veniret ad ecclesiam ad fidem Christi paenitens salutem cum lacrimes posâ—ens quaero utrum quisquam tanto errore esset ut neget ad baptismum admitti aut frustra admissum esse contendat i If any one of those very Pharisees unto whom particularly Cbrist objected this sin against the Holy Ghost had been converted to the Christian faith and with repentance and tears had desired that saving doctrine I demand whether any one would be so ignorantly nice as to deny him leave to be baptized or to affirm that if he were baptized it would not profit him Certainly if Julian or Arrius who by divines are said to have sinned this sin had so offered themselves to the primitive Church in their times they had not been refused for we know that Novatus and his sect were therefore condemned by the Orthodox because they refused to admit such as had denied Christ as is said before The conclusion and resolution of this question by Aug. Epist 50. n. 31. St. Austin is this that this sin is unpardonable only in this case viz. If such a sinner continue in duritia cordis usque ad finem vitae hujus and again Aug. Enchirid cap. 83. n. 58. Si in hac obstinatione mentis diem extremum clandit i If such a blasphemer continue and persevere in this hardnesse of heart and obstinacy all his life time and in it depart this life then will there be no hope of forgivnesse And for this reason onely this grand sin Vid. infra may be called in the Apostles words 1. John 5. 16. A sin unto death Not because it doth alwaies necessarily bring to that sinner eternall death but because it Aug. Epist 50. â— 31. will do so if that sinner live and die in this sin obstinately and impenitently of which saying I shall more largly speak here after in its due place of this sin when it doth necessarily bring the sinner to eternal damnation the same Saint Austin saith very truly as I conceive Non probatur ab aliquo commissum nisi cum de corpore exierit i none can be properly said to have committed the sin unto death untill the sinner be actually dead because if he repent before his death then the sin canot be said to be unto death Finallie neither this sin or any other Apostasie except it be final is so absolutely unpardonable but that forgivenes may be obtained through Christ if the sinner seeke pardon with true repentance But whether any repentance may be had by such who have once fallen into this grand sin is the next thing to be enquired CHAP. IV. An exposition of Hebr. 6. 4. that the word Inlightned signifieth baptisme Anabaptisme is inhibited as both unprofitable and also sinful BEcause no sin how great soever can be said to be absolutely unpardonable if the sinner wil truly repent him of it and that there is no case or condition in this life wherin sinfull man should despair and cast of all hope of pardon therefore divers * Calvin l. 3. 3. 24. Instit Polan p. 339. Buc. p. 155. divines tell us that the reason why it is said of this sin that it shall never be forgiven is because when it is once committed it is ever after accompanied with final impenitentie and that by the just judgment of God such apostates are punished with final and Eternal blindnes and that they cannot possiblie repent and for this doctrine they alleage the saying of S. Paul Heb. 6. 4. It is impossible for those who were once enlightned if they fall away to renue them to repentance Whether this be the true meaning of those words or not it will better appeare if we diligentlie by way of exposition examine them together with the context both before after Which I will not presume to undertake or performe by mine owne single judgment but will call in the assistance of former expositions by the auncient Fathers upon that place where we read as followeth For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift c. If they fall away to Renue them againe to repentance The Apostle having in the former verses told those Hebrâ—ws that they should not expect that he would new lay the foundations of Christian religion which had bin done to them before wherof one was 〈◊〉 and its Doctrine for if they must be alwaies nâ—w rounded in Christian religion as oft as they fall into â—in then should they be as often baptized that if they fell a second and third time they should as often be baptized and therby reâ—â—ored to their former estate by so many several baptismes This is the eâ—position of Theophilact Si iterum eâ—â— in primordiis religionis instiâ—ueret Theoph. in locum ruâ—sus baptizaret poâ—iquâ—m denuò â—apsi essent baptizaret aâ—que â—teâ—um per â—ujusmodiâ— iterationem essent multi baptismi verum hoâ—â—bsurdum non oportet iterari baptismum i If the Apostle must new lay the foundations of religion in his disciples as oft as they fall into sin then must he new baptize them and if they fall againe he must baptize them againe and againe but â—f so then there would be many Baptismes which were absurd for Baptisme may
weight are worthy of an apostolical determination which is here set down with great gravity and severity when we are told that such as will be re-baptized do to themselves re-crucify Christ Rebaptization is not so light a matter as some take it to be Sr. Austin said upon great Aug. epist 163. utrum rebaptizari an non baptizari perniciosius sit difficile est judicare Aug. cont donatist l. 2 n. 37 vide Epiph. n. 29. 1 Maccab. 1. 15 1 Cor. 7. 18. vide Joseph Ant l. 12. c d Martial l. 7. 29. Aug. Epist 203. deliberation Rebaptizator peior â—sse potest quam intersector i he that rebaptizeth may be far worse then he that murthereth God so ordered the Sacrament of Circumcâ—sion that it could not twice be administred to the same person the two differing sects in Palestine I mean the Jews and the Samaritans could nor recircumcise one another neither was it ever attempted that I find upon the apostate and impure recuâ—iâ—eâ— among them but onely on Symmachus as Epiphamus saith Christian Baptisme is the Circumcision of the heart therefore he that will be twice baptized must first get two hearts as St. Austin saith Wherefore I think it will not be overmuch impertinent to this businesse in hand of expounding that place Heb. 6. 4. to discourse a little the question of Anabaptisme or Re-baptization upon what reasons and grounds it was practised by old Hereticks and by that worthy man St. Cyprian and in some cases by the Church Catholick but most especially because our Apostle even St. Paul himself is alleaged by some as a countenancer and practiser thereof by that story related Act. 19. CHAP. VIII The distinction of Baptisms into true and false the formes of pseudobaptismes among Hereticks after their dippings a true baptisme may be administred yet is not to be accounted Anabaptism the Novatian baptisme was a true baptism St. Cyprian in part is excused BEcause this impossibility of renuing appeareth to bâ— mâ—ant onely of renuing by a new baptism and that a new baptism is not onely uselesse but sinful also I am now to discourse the reasons that have moved old and new Anabaptists to attempt second baptisms Epiph. hae 76. The word Baptisme is Vox dualis an aequivocall word of a double signification First it is taken improperly and abusively when 1. that is called baptisme which indeed is not so but onely hath some outward similitude thereof yet wanteth the Essentials of true baptism Secondly it is taken properly for that baptism which 2. was prescrâ—bed by God for Sacramenta sunt de â—aelo God must be the author of Sacraments properly so called and administred so with the essentiall part thereof as by the author of it is prescribed For the first kind I have shewd that the traditional washings of the Jewes are called baptismes but improperly and so the very Heathens had their baptisms for they imitated the Christians in initiating their Novices by washing as Tertullian oft observeth Ecclesia Tert. de prescript and Advers Quintil. n. 30. and 10. diaboliâ—mitatur illam Christi in lavacro c. and again Ethntci per aquas imitantur sacris Ecclesia diaboli bâ—ptismum exâ—râ—et in suis i The worshipers of the divel imitate the Church of Christ in their laver for heathens are initiated in their rites by a baptism and Just apol 2. n. 13. the same relation was before delivered by Justin Martyr Now such false and nominall Baptisms as these do not at all bar either Iewish ot heathenish converts from a true Christian baptism Besides these there were other false and aequivocall baptismes or Pseudobaptismes among Hereticks who professed Christianity which they called Baptisms although in truth they were not so because they wanted the very essentialls of true Christian baptism of which we have very frequent mention in the Church-writers as namely of the Valentinians who thus baptized In nomine ignoti paâ—ris in ve itaâ—e Matris and in nomine Iren. lib. 1. c. 18. n. 107. Iesu as Irenaeus saith i in the name of the unknown Father in the truth of the Mother and in the name of Jesus So the baptism ministred by the Marcionites was vain and null for this reason as St. Basil thought because they thought God was the Author of evill and Basil Epist 2. ad Amphi. n. 35. therefore they would not baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and for this reason the baptism of the Pepuzian Montanists was by the same father adjudged void because they Bafil Epist 1. ad Amphican 1. n. 34. baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of Montanus Pâ—isâ—illa So also the baptismes administred by Eunomius the heretick were by the Church adjudged void and null because he baptized in nomen Epiph haer 76. Dei incarnati Filii Creati Spiritus Sanotificativi i in the name of God uncreated of the Son created and the sanctifying Spirit Such false baptismes as these cannot disable any who have been dipped in this form from receiving the true baptism of the Church upon their conversion and desire of the same If our Commenter should dip one in the words of the same faith which himself hath professed in his book viz. In the name of the Supream God his deified Son not Supream God being in this profession a manifest Antitrinitarian who can doubt but that such a dipping will not be a baptisme but the party is for all this unbaptized and by reason of the same Doctrine which our Commenter hath commented the baptisines by Photinus the heretick were adiudged void because he Baptized Sozo l. 4. c. 5. not into the Eternal Son of God for he thought hâ—m to have had his beginning from Marie his Mother Upon these reason's Origen expressly saith Baptismus fit Otig in Eze. hom 7. in nomine Patris Fiâ—â—i Spiritus Sancti si quis pauca commutans unxerit quemquam is Oleum dei ponit ante idoâ—um i Baptisme is to be in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holie Ghost If any shall but a litle alter this forme and so Baptize he doth therby lay downe the Baptismal Oil of God before an idol Quod vult Deus in S. Austin proposeth a very pertinent Aug. to 6 de haeres Epist 1. n. 3. question to this matter now in hand in these words Post quas haereses ecâ—lâ—sia Baptizet non rebaptizet i He would know after what heretical Baptisme the Church might Baptize such as had bin dipped before and yet that the Church shall not be charged with rebaptizing To which question S. Austin in Aug de eccles dog c. 52. n. 73. another booke returned this good answer Those that have bin Baptized by hâ—reâ—icks without invocation of the hoâ—ie Triniâ—ie and returning to the Church doe receive baptisme in the name of
the Triniâ—ie such we pronounce Baptized but not rebaptized for we may not account such to be baptized who were not dipped in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holie ghost and such were those who were dipped by the Photinians Montanists Manichees and by Maâ—cion Cerdon thus he And in this S. Cyprian may so far be justly excused in requiring that those who had bin so dipped by those hereticks should be againe re dipped by the Church in lawfull baptisme for saith he Haeretici illi non possunt Cyp. de haer Bapt. n. 85. baptizare qui negant dietaâ—em Paâ—ris aut Filii aut Spiritus nam Marcion non poterat qui negabat Trinitatem i Those hereticks can not minister true baptisme who therein denie the Godhead of the Father or the Son or the Holie ghost for therfore Marcions was no baptisme because he denied the Trinitie And therefore such pseudo-baptismes as were Ministred by such hereticks so as is shewed before Cyprian will not call Baptismes Non est Baptismus sed tinctio i It must not be called a baptisme but a dipping And of those whom the Church baptized after they had bin formerlie dipped by those hereticks he saith Nâ—n est râ— Baptizaâ—io Cyp. ibid. ad Quint. n. 86. â—aeâ—eticorum sed haptizatio i We can not say such hereticks are rebaptized but that they are baptized If Cyprian had held himself to this Doctrine and gone no further in his zeal againâ—â— the hereticks and schismaticks of his time he had escaped much blame where with succeeding ages have charged him and not without Cause as will appeare anon Upon Cypâ—ians grounds of Baptizing Aâ—tiâ—rinitarians who had bin so fouly dipped before the Canons of the first Nicene Council as they are recorded by Ruffinus direct that when any heretick of the sect of Paulus Samosatâ—nus would forsake that heresie and joyne with the true Church that such an one should not be entertained before he were new baptized this is in the 21 Canon of Ruffiâ—us But before in the ninth Ruff. n. 16. Canon it is ordered that if any Catharist or Novatian leave that sect to joyne with the Church he should be received and for such there is no mention or direction of a new baptisme because the baptisme of the Novatians was a true baptisme but the Samosaâ—eniâ—n dipping was but a Pseudobaptisme because Samosatenus denied the Godhead of Christ as is before declared Also before the Nicene Council and Cyprians time amongst the Canons of the Apostles recorded by Clemens one is Ordinati vel Paptizati ab haeâ—eticis reordinandi and râ—baptizandi suntâ— i Those that have bin ordained and baptized by hereticks must be re ordained and re baptized this was not intended to countenance a Second Baptisme but because the tinctions or dippings of those who would not confess the Trinitie were not to be esteemed Baptismes And therfore Athanasius also after the Nicene Council had condemned the Arrian heresie for denying the Eternal Godhead of the Son saith plainly Arâ—iani verum Baptismum Athan. cont Arrian serm 3. n. 6. amittunt quiâ— verum filium negant i The Arrians in denying the Son of God doe therby cease to administer true Baptisme for we find that after that Council the Arrians denying the Trinitie would neither use the same forme of Doxologie which the Church Catholick used nor the same forme of invocation of the Trinity in Baptisme but glorified and baptized thus Gloria Patri cum filio in Spiritu and In nomine Patris Basil de Spirit c. 25. n. 27. per filium in Spiritu Because they would not acknowledg the Son and the Spirit to be aequal to the Father CHAP. IX That the disciples of Ephesus Act. 19. who had bin Baptized by Johns disciples before were re-baptized because Johns Baptisme was then out of date and null THe principal president of a Second and a true Baptisme after an imaginaâ—ie and pseudobaptisme is cleerly set foâ—th by that passage of the great Apostle and recorded Act. 19. of the Ephâ—sian disciples who had bin baptized unto Johns Baptisme but because that baptisme was out of date at the time when they were first dipped therfore when they heard S. Paules words they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus For although Iohn Baptisi's baptisme was a true Baptisme whilest the time of his Baptismal office lasted in so much that our saviour never that we find caused any to be re baptized who had bin baptized by Iohn yet we know that Iohn's Baptisme was to have a period and not to last alwaies But how long it was to last and to be in force is the cheif question material for the exposition of this passage To this question I will set downe the answer given Optat. lib. 5. by Optatus That Iohns baptisme being to repentance and beleife in him that was to come even Christ to be manifested especiallie to his death and resurrection this baptisme must last till then and further also until Christ had ordained a new forme and law of baptisme to be perpetual in his Church So that until Christ after his resurrection had given a new rule and precept of baptisme the ould baptisme of Iohn was accepted but after Christ had once said Goe and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son c. I say after this Iohn's baptisme was expired nor could he or his Disciples baptize any longer in that forme of beleeving in him that was to come because now he was come and manifested and gone out of the world Christs new law and precept of baptisme was the bounds and limits of Ioâ—n's baptisme from that time all baptismes must be In the name of the Father and of the Son c Now these Disciples of Ephesus were indeed Baptized with Iohn's Baptisme but they were so baptized when it was to late and when that forme of baptisme was quite expired and out of date for their baptisme was after Christ had setled the new law of baptisme In the name of the Father c Without the observation wherof a thousand dippings or duckings will not make one baptisme so that those Ephesians can not be properly said to have bin baptized because the very essence of that Sacrament was wanting Optatus speaketh Opt. lib. 5. home to this purpose Hiqui apud Ephesum post legâ—m Iohannis Baptismaâ—e baptizaâ—i leguntur in Sacramento erraverunt quia jamintroductum fuerat baptisma Domini exclusum fuerat seâ—vi i Those Ephesians who are said to have bin baptized with Iohn's baptisme greatly erred in that Sacrament because then the Baptisme of the Lord Christ was brought in the baptisme of his servant Iohn was shut out Briefly that baptisme which before Christs new precept was good and usefull after the precept became useless and void So saith the same Father of the same question Post hodiernum non licebat quod
still worship toward the Temple and our Saviour tells us which is the true Temple indeed Iohn 2. 19 21. Destroy this Temple in 3 dayes I will raise it up But he spake of the Temple of his body For Iesus est Deus Templum Dei saith Nazianzen i. Naz. Orat. 43. Jeius is both the Temple of God and the God of the Temple And so Saint Austine saith Christus est Sacerdos Aug. de dog Eccl. n. 73. Sacrificium est Deus Temâ—lum i. Christ is the sacrificer and the sacrifice he is the God and the Temple And Origen saith Christus est Templum in Orig. in Josh Hom. 17. utero Virginis formatuâ— i. Christ is the Temple built in the Virgins womb And Athanasius more plainly expresseth this Mystery Digni sunt Ariani qui Atha Or. 5. cont Ar. n. 4. â—aepè percant qui prisci populi reverentiam â—rga Templum laudant sed Dâ—minum in carne ut in Templo suo adorare recusant i. The Arians have well deserved perdition who praise the Iewes for their reverence towards the Temple yet themselves refuse to worship the Lord iâ— the Temple of his Body Solomon saith Proverbs 9. 1. Wisedome hath built her an house Who is wisedome but God and what house is it but as Athanasius often expoundes that saying Corpus Christi Atha ser 3. cont Ar. n. 6. est Domus sapienâ—iae i. The house of Wisedome is the Body of Christ The word building in Scripture is applyed to an humane body as well as to an house Gâ—nesis 2. 22. Deus aedificavit costam in muâ—erem i. God builded the woman of Adams rib and Ruâ—h 4. 1. Rachâ—l and Leah did build the house of Israel and in three dayes I will raise it Iohn 2. As if it were the raysing of an house So the Mysticall Body of Christ which is his Church is called Gods building 1. Cor. 3. 9. In brief Iesus Christ in respect of his divine Nature is our God and the Temple wherein our God dwelleth and that which is truely said to be his rest for ever Psalme 132. 14. Is his glorified Body now in Heaven When we compose our selves to Prayer we lift up our mindes to this God in that Temple God Incarnate is the finall and ultimate Object of our adoration there is no way to approach to our God with any hope of obtaining pardon and remission of sins but through the open doores of the Temple of his wounded body therefore our Prayers are all sealed with Through Iesus Christ our Lord. He that maketh any approach to God otherwise then considered in this Temple must expect to finde him onely as a severe and offended Judge but whâ—n he looketh on us through his Sonne his severity is sweetned Filius est dulâ—edo Dâ—i i. The Sonne is Fulg disc object Arian n. 1. the sweetnesse of God When he beholdeth us through Jesus Christ he is pacified and gâ—acious the clouds and tempests of Gods anger are asswaged by the serenity of the Countenance of Jesus Vulâ—u quo Coelum tempestatesque sâ—renat Virg. Aâ—n 1. Are we not therefore called Christians because we worship God in Christ To him Saint Stephen directed his Prayer Acts 7. 57. Lord Iesus receive my spirit And Saint Paul also Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father comfort your hearts for so Christ had given direction before Iohn 14. 13. Whatsoever ye shall aske in my Name that will I doe that the Father may be glorified in the Son By what hath been said I trust the danger of this Commentors bold assertion will be discovered who tells us that Christ is not to be believed P. 54. in finally but God in Christ not believing or not considering that the Godhead is in Christ And therefore Christ in respect of this Gohead is to be believed in and prayed to finally and â—erminaâ—ely as the utmost object of our Faith and the Manhood of Christ so endowed with and united to the same Godhead is to be believed in and prayed to Mediately for by the Incarnation of the Godhead in Jesus he became our Advocate and Mediatour and a Priest which is next to be discoursed CHAP. XV. That the most high God became a Mediatour and a Priest and that Christ is prayed unto and yet is a Mediatour Every Person in the Trinitie may be prayed unto THe Commentor tells us That the supream God P. 80. c. 5. v. 5. can no way be a Priest and therefore Christ is not supream God because he is maâ—e a Priest This assertion is most false and blasphemous he that affirmeth it either never was Christian or else must be an Apostate because to say that the most high and onely God cannot be a Priest is all one as to say This God cannot assume flesh or be Incarnate For in the same manner the supreme God became a Priest in which he became a Mediatour and both by assuming humane nature For if it be demanded how we can pray to Christ seeing he is our Mediatour and Priest who interceedeth and prayeth for us and that by him we approach to God so that we may seem rather to pray by him then to him and if Christ be the finall Object of our Prayer who is our Mediatour To this it may be answered that Christ is a Mediatour in the same sense that he is a Priest and in that sense he prayed Now he became a Priest and a Mediatour by assâ—ming Manhood for Saint Chrysostomâ— Chrys Hom. Ant. 32. n. 12. saith truely Christus orabaâ— ut homo nam Deus non â—rat i. Christ prayed in that he was a Man for God doth not pray And Saint Austine saith Christus Aug. de Civit. â— 20. c. 10. est Sacerdo quatenus est Filius hominis i. Christ is not a Priest but by being the Sonne of Man For although it be said Rom. 8. 26. The Spi it maketh intercâ—ssion for us though the Spirit as it signifieth the third Person was not Incarnate the meaning is onely that the Holy Ghost helpeth our infirmities in prayer as is there said and nos intâ—rpellare facit It enableth and stirreth us up to pray as Saint Austine Aug. expos in Ro. n. 96. expounds it not that the Spirit it self prayeth for us When Eudoxius the Arian was newly placed in the Episcopall seat of â—onstanâ—inople the first sentence that he uttered was this blaâ—phemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soc. l. 2. c. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Father is impious the Sonne is pious at which words when the people began to raise a tumult he appeased them by saying that his meaning was that the Father never prayed but the Son did often pray his intent was hereby to insinuate that because Chrâ—st prayed therefore he was not God but was onely a creature which â—s the Argument which our Commenter useth against the Priesthood of God for indeed the pure Godhead